T  TT3T:)  AI5V 


Tills  book  may  be  kept  out 

TWO  WERKS 
only,  and  is  subject  to  a  fine 
of  TWO  CENTS  a  day  thereafter. 
It  will  he  due  on  the  day  in- 
dicated below. 

SEP  2  6  1983  , 


HISTOEY 


TOWN  OF  TOWNSEND, 


MIDDLESEX  COUNTY,  MASSACHUSETTS, 


FROM  THE  GRAyr   OF  IIATHORX'S  FARM. 


1676^1878. 


ITHAMAR   B.  SAWTELLE. 


Posterity  delights  in   details. — Jo/tn   Qiiii'uy  Adnm 


PUBLISHED    BY    THE    AUTHOR. 
KESS    OF    P.LANCHARD    &    BROWN,    F  ITCH  P>U  TI  C. 

1S78. 


INTRODUCTION. 


I  have  written  a  History  of  the  Town  of  Townsend, 
embracing  most  of  the  incidents  worthy  of  record, 
covering  a  period  of  two  hundred  years".  My  task  is 
done.  I  have  presented  on  these  pages  no  elegant  word 
painting.  I  have  described  no  battle  scenes  or  heroes  ;  no 
intrigues  or  crimes  of  monarchs  or  their  prime  ministers  : 
but  I  have  labored  faithfully  to  portray  some  of  the 
characteristics  of  our  Puritan  ancestors,  in  the  dry  details 
of  this  local  history.  They  came  to  found  an  asylum  for 
religious  liberty,  without  any  clearly  defined  ideas  of  civil 
government.  Their  great  aim  was  a  pure  religion 
combined  with  an  independent  church.  Their  hopes  all 
centered  on  this  one  object,  which  engrossed  their  entire 
efforts,  their  muscular  forces,  their  dreams  by  night,  their 
morning  and  evening  orisons.  I  have  endeavored  to 
exhibit  the  patriotism  of  our  pilgrim  fathers,  during  the 
revolutionary  struggle,  in  a  manner  that  will  suggest  the 
cost  of  liberty,  the  price  of  which  is  eternal  vigilance.  If 
some  of  the  names  of  those  brave  men  have  been  wrested 
from  oblivion,  and  justice  done  to  those  now  almost 
forgotten,  then  I  am  well  paid  for  the  toil  through  the 
many  wear}^  yet  pleasant  hours,  spent  among  the  records 
and  papers  made  one  hundred  years  ago. 

It  should  be  the  object  of  every  writer  of  a  town 
history,  to  preserve  the  memory  of  local  events  and 
enterprises ;    to    record    the    manners    and    customs,    the 


4  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

sacrifices  and  toils  of  the  fathers ;  to  gather  from  old 
records  and  family  tradidons  all  important  facts  which  the 
county  or  state  historians  have  omitted.  It  is  only  within 
a  few  years  that  any  attention  has  been  paid  to  the 
preparation  of  town  histories.  In  185 1,  while  the  history 
of  New  Ipswich,  New  Hampshire,  was  in  preparation, 
Mr.  Kidder  was  considered  almost  a  lunatic,  while  he  and 
his  artist  were  making  sketches  of  the  meeting-houses, 
academy,  and  old  mansions  of  that  town.  Now,  four  of 
the  towns  adjoining  New  Ipswich,  have  ample  local  his- 
tories nearly  as  fully  illustrated  as  is  the  history  of  that 
town. 

More  than  two  hundred  years  ago,  Thomas  Fuller, 
D.D.,  a  man  of  excellent  learning  and  great  benevolence, 
wrote  as  follows  : — 

"History  is  a  velvet  study,  and  recreation  work.  What 
a  pitie  it  is  to  see  a  proper  gentleman  to  have  such  a  crick 
in  his  neck  that  he  cannot  look  backward  !  Yet  no  better 
is  he  who  cannot  see  behind  him  the  actions  which  long 
since  were  performed.  History  maketh  a  young  man  to 
be  old ;  privileging  him  with  the  experience  of  age, 
without  either  the  infirmities  or  inconveniences  thereof. 
Yea,  it  not  only  maketh  things  past,  present ;  but  enableth 
one  to  make  a  rationall  conjecture  of  things  to  come." 

In  the  study  of  records,  I  have  been  brought  in  contact 
with  some  excellent  minds.  I  almost  feel  acquainted 
with  Samuel  Manning,  Daniel  Adams,  James  Hosley,  and 
others,  who  placed  on  record  the  acts  of  the  town,  through 
the  eventful  days  of  the  colonial  and  revolutionary  times. 
I  have  almost  heard  their  voices  and  peered  into  their 
pleasant  but  determined  faces.  Some  of  the  most  interest- 
ing facts,  however,  concerning  the  transactions  which 
occurred  during  the  first  hundred  years  of  our  history, 
and  even  after  that  time,  were  gleaned  from  outside  of 
the  town  records.      The  puritans  were  men  of  action  not 


INTRODUCTION.  5 

words.  They  had  little  time  to  commit  their  thoughts  to 
writing.  What  the}'  wrote  was  done  more  from  necessity, 
than  the  love  of  perpetuating  the  remembrance  of  their 
acts. 

The  history  of  Townsend  should  have  been  written 
long  ago,  before  the  third  generation  from  the  fathers 
passed  away.  Many  things,  of  great  interest,  can  never 
be  known  which  might  have  been  learned  if  a  timely  effort 
had  been  made.  Even  tradition  seems  to  have  died  out. 
The  farms,  on  our  hill-sides,  once  occupied  by  large 
families,  the  sons  and  daughters  of  which  filled  the  school 
houses,  and  wended  their  way  to  one  common  place  of 
worship,  on  the  sabbath,  are  now  in  the  hands  of  strangers. 
The  history  of  the  earliest  settlers  of  this  town  can  never 
be  written  satisfactorily.  It  is  impossible  to  point  out  the 
exact  location  where  many  of  them  "broke  the  wilderness" 
and  built  their  cabins.  In  this  work,  with  reference  to  the 
ecclesiastical  affairs  of  the  town,  I  have  aimed  to  exhibit 
a  complete  and  impartial  history  of  the  church  and  its 
ministers,  during  the  period  that  the  church  was  a  town 
institution.  I  have  studied  the  characters  of  these  ministers 
who  brought  glad  tidings  to  the  fathers  during  the  first 
hundred  years  of  the  towns  existence,  and  I  hope  I  have 
done  justice  both  to  them  and  the  subject.  The  ministers, 
who  followed  Mr.  Palmer  with  the  Congregationalists, 
I  have  described  impartially  as  they  appeared  to  me. 
Concerning  the  other  clergymen  sketched  in  this  work,  I 
have  given  their  characters  as  I  have  learned  them  from 
other  sources,  rather  than  from  observation. 

Dr.  Johnson  said  that  "he  who  describes  what  he 
never  saw  draws  from  fancy."  If  this  proposition  be 
literally  true,  then  we  have  a  greater  amount  of  fiction 
from  the  pens  of  Gibbon,  Hume  or  Irving,  than  was  ever 
placed  to  their  credit.     I  have  given  sketches  of  men  more 


6  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

fullv  than  most  writers  of  local  histories,  on  the  principle 
laid  down  by  a  great  writer,  that  "man  is  perennially 
interesting  to  man."  Many  persons  herein  described  are 
now  alive.  The  rule  is  that  men  must  die  before  they  can 
be  embalmed.  If  I  am  not  deceived  their  characters  have 
been  accurately  drawn. 

The  records  of  births,  from  the  settlement  of  the  town 
to  1800,  are  incomplete  ;  so  that  any  account  that  might  be 
gleaned  concerning  these  interesting  statistics  would  not 
be  very  satisfactory.  In  regard  to  genealogy,  I  have  not 
pursued  that  subject  to  any  extent,  because  some  of  our 
most  prominent  families  are  already  placed  on  record. 
The  Spaulding,  Giles,  Stickney,  Richardson,  and  Ball 
Memorials,  have  been  for  some  time  in  possession  of  these 
families. 

It  is  impossible  that  a  work  of  this  description, 
containing  such  a  mass  of  facts  and  abounding  in  dates, 
should  be  free  from  errors.  That  errors  are  herein 
contained -is  beyond  question.  I  beg  my  readers  to  point 
them  out  to  the  next  man  who  will  write  the  supplementary 
chronicles  of  the  town. 

I  have  received  valuable  assistance  in  my  labor,  while 
compiling  this  work,  from  many  -sources:  tVorn  John 
Langdon  Sibley,  ex-librarian  of  Harvard  University ; 
trom  the  Librarians  of  the  Historical  Societies  ;  from  Dr. 
Strong,  who  has  charge  of  the  Massachusetts  Archives  ; 
from  the  courteous  and  gentlemanly  clerks  in  the  office  of 
the  Secretary  of  State  ;  and  what  has  been  very  agreeable, 
I  have  made  the  acquaintance  of  a  class  of  historians, 
genealogists,  and  antiquarians,  who  have  extended  to  me 
their  friendly  aid  and  sympathy. 

Itiiamar  B.  Sawtelle. 

Tow^nsend,  March  22,  1878. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

PHYSICAL    GEOGBAPHY    OF    THE    TOWX. 

Hills — Streams  and  Brooks — Ash  Swamp— Wild  Animals— Fishes — 
Birds — Name  of  the  Town — Population.        13 — 30. 

CHAPTER  II. 

LAND    GBANTS   AND    OltlGINAL    'PBOPEIETOES. 

Frequent  Grants  by  the  Assemblj^— Hathorn's  Farm — Jonathan  Dan- 
forth — Grant  of  two  Towns  on  the  westerly  side  of  Groton  west 
line — Pj'oceedings  of  the  Committee  assembled  at  Concord  to 
grant  out  said  Townships — Names  of  the  Persons  to  whom  Lots 
were  granted — Some  Account  of  the  Disagreement  between  the 
Proprietors  of  Dunstable  and  the  North  Town— Report  of  Sam- 
uel Danforth  concerning  the  Condition  of  the  North  Town  in 
1730 — Charter  of  the  Town  of  Townshend — Other  Land  Grants — 
Cambridge  Grammar  School  Farm— Groton  Gore — Location  of 
the  Province  Line— Earliest  Settlers  known — Allotment  by  the 
Committee  of  the  Proprietors — Account  of  some  Early  Settlers — 
Warrant  for  calling  the  First  Legal  Meeting— Isaac  Spanlding— 
Customs  and  Fashions  of  the  Early  Settlers— Proceedings  at  the 
First  Meetings  of  the  Proprietors— Proprietors'  Clerks — Modera- 
tors of  the  Meetings  of  the  Proprietors— Influence  of  Concord 
Men  in  the  Settlement  of  the  Town.        31—76. 


5  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  III. 

ECCLESIASTICAL  HISTORY. 

Settlement  of  Rev.  Phiiiehas  Heinenway,  the  First  Minister  of  Townsend 
— Memoir  of  him  bj'  Rev.  Mr.  Temple— Church  Covenant  \vritten 
by  Mr.  Hemenway — Account  of  Servants  (negroes)  belonging 
to  the  Church— Church  Discipline— Owning  the  Covenant— New 
Lights— Character  of  Mr.  Hemenway — His  Death— Settlement  of 
Rev.  Samuel  Dix — Account  of  liis  Pastorate — Sample  of  his 
Eloquence — Action  of  the  Church  at  the  Decease  of  Rev.  Mr. 
Dix — Ordination  of  Rev.  David  Palmer — Character  of  Mr.  Palmer 
as  an  Educator — The  Unitarian  Excitement  and  Withdrawal  of 
Mr.  Palmer  from  the  Town  Meeting-house — Account  of  the  Latter 
Part  of  his  Life— Pastorate  of  William  M.  Rogers — Pastorate  of 
Columbus  Shumway — Pastorate  of  David  Stowell — Pastorate  of 
Luther  H.  Sheldon— Pastorate  of  E.W.Cooke— Pastorate  of  Moses 
Patten — Pastorate  of  George  H.  Morss — Pastorate  of  Henrj'  C. 
Fay— Ordination  of  Albert  F.  Newton — Names  of  the  Deacons— 
The  Unitarians  and  Their  Minisfei's- The  Methodists.       77 — 122. 

^  CHAPTER  IV. 

THE  BAPTISTS  AND   UNIVEBSALISTS. 

Furniution  of  the  Baptist  Society  in  1818— Inauguration  of  the  Church 
in  1827 — Levi  Ball  Chosen  Deacon— Action  of  the  Town  in  Favor 
of  the  Baptists — Pastoi-ate  of  Rev.  James  Barnaby — Concise 
Memoir  of  Mr.  Barnaby— Some  Account  of  the  Successors  of 
Mr.  Barnaby— Pastorate  of  Rev.  Willard  P.  Upham— The  Uni- 
versalist  Restoration  Society — Rev.  John  Pierce— Committee  to 
Build  a  Meeting-house — Mention  of  the  Several  Pastors  of  this 
Society.        123—132. 

CHAPTER  V. 

3IEETING-H0USES. 

Tlu'  First  Meeting-house  and  its  Location— "  Pew  Ground  "—'•  Seating 
the  Meeting-house" — Controversy  about  the  Location  of  the 
Second  Meeting-house — Memoirs  of  John  Hale,  Oliver  Prescott 
and  .John  Dunsmoor,  the  Committee  Chosen  to  Locate  this  House 


CONTENTS.  y 

— Names  of  the  Pew  Holders  in  the  Second  Meeting-house — 
Action  of  the  Town  in  Eegard  to  Moving  the  Second  Meeting- 
house to  its  Present  Location  at  the  Central  Village— The  First 
Bell  in  Town— The  Congregational  Meeting-house— The  Baptist 
Meeting-house.        133—153. 

CHAPTER  VI. 

MILITABY,  GEMETEBIES,  AND  BEQUESTS. 

*••  The  Training  Band" — "The  Alarm  List" — Division  of  the  Town  into 
Two  Military  Companies— The  North  Company— The  South 
Company — List  of  the  Captains  of  these  Companies— Townsend 
Light  Infantry — Its  Captains — Cemeteries- Laud  Given  by  Wil- 
liam Clark — Burying  Ground  Near  the  Common  at  the  Centre 
of  the  Town — Its  Enlargement  in  1854— Gift  of  Land  for  a  Ceme- 
tery at  West  Townsend  by  Levi  Warren — The  Stocks,  an  Instru- 
ment of  Torture  to  the  Flesh— Amos  Whitney's  Will— His  Epi- 
taph.       154-168. 

CHAPTER  Vn. 

WAB  OF  THE  BE  VOLUTION. 

Excitement  Previous  to  the  War— A  Pamphlet  Received  from  the 
Selectmen  of  Boston— Committee  of  Correspondence  and  Safety 
— Action  of  the  Town  in  1773— Action  of  the  Town  in  1774 — 
Delegates  to  the  Provincial  Congress — Assistance  Rendered  by 
Townsend  to  the  Citizens  of  Boston  During  its  Seige — Efforts 
to  Obtain  Salt— Tlie  Alarm  on  the  19th  of  April,  1775— Roll  of 
Capt.  James  Hosley's  Company  of  Minute-Men  that  Marched  to 
Defend  the  Colony— Roll  of  Capt.  Samuel  Donglas'  Company — 
Roll  of  Capt.  Henry  Farwell's  Company— Capt.  Thomas  Warren's 
Company— Attempt  to  Regulate  the  Prices  of  Goods  and  Labor— 
The  Tories  of  Townsend — Letter  from  Boston  Concerning  the 
Return  of  the  Absentees— Privations  and  Struggles  for  Indepen- 
dence—Story of  Eunice  Locke — Some  Account  of  Her  and  Her 
Brother — Roll  of  Capt.  James  Hosley's  Company  of  Volunteers 
from  Townsend,  Pepperell,  and  Ashby,  which  Went  to  the  Assis- 
tance of  Gen.  Gates  in  1777 — Adoption  of  the  State  Constitu- 
tion, 1778 — Depreciation  of  the  Continental  Money — Names  of 
the  Townsend  Soldiers  in  1780— List  of  Prices — Retrospective. 
109—212. 


10  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE  SHAYS  BEBELLION. 

Causes  which  Led  to  the  Revolt— Mob  at  Springfield — Excitement  in 
Worcester  County— The  People  of  Concord  in  Fear  of  the  In- 
surgents— Letter  from  Concord  to  the  Neighboring  Towns — 
Town  Meetings  and  Committees  at  this  Time — Job  Shattuck 
and  his  Subalterns — Stopping  the  Courts— Capture  of  Shattuck — 
List  of  the  Shaj^s  Men  Belonging  to  Townsend— Peter  Butter- 
fleld— Luke  Day  the  Leading  Spirit  of  the  Insurrection — Daniel 
Shays.        213—222. 

CHAPTER  IX. 

EDUCATIONAL   HIS  TOBY. 

Early  Action  of  the  Town  to  Preserve  the  "  Candlewood  " — Home 
Instruction  in  the  Log-Cabins — First  Eecord  of  Any  Effort  to 
Establish  a  Public  School — First  School-House— Account  of 
Several  of  the  School-Houses — Division  of  the  Town  into  "Nine 
Squadrons"  in  1783— First  School  Committee  in  1796— West 
Townsend  Female  Seminary — Townsend  Academy — General  In- 
terest in  Education — Names  of  Some  Prominent  Teachers — 
Sketch   of  Hon.  Seth  Davis.        223—240. 

CHAPTER  X. 

MILLS  AND  MANUFACTUBES. 

First  Mill  in  Town  at  the  Harbor,  1733— '^Hubbard's  Mill"  at  West 
Townsend — Hezekiah  Richardson's  Mill  and  the  Variety  of  Busi- 
ness at  that  Place— James  Giles'  Mill — Eben  Butler's  Mill — 
Daniel  Giles'  Mill,  afterwards  Owned  by  Adams  &  Powers — 
Steam  Mill  of  Giles  &  Larkin— Steam  Mill  of  Walter  Fessen- 
den  &  Son— Sketch  of  Walter  Fessenden — The  Work  done  by 
these  Mills— Morocco  Factory  of  Abram  S.  French — Sketch  of 
Abram  S.  French — Clotliiers  and  Wool  Carders — Hezekiah  Rich- 
ardson and  his  Sons — Samuel  Whitney,  the  Inventor  of  the 
Planer — Peter  Manning,  the  Saddler — Townsend  Harbor  in  1790 
—The  Tanning  Business  Carried  on  by  Several  Parties— Hats 
Made  of  Fur,  and  Palm  Leaf  Hats— Foundry  at  tlie  Harbor- 
Statistics  of  the  Manufactures  of  Townsend.  for  1875,  taken 
fx'om  the  Decennial   Census.        241 — 258. 


CONTENTS.  11 

CHAPTER   XI. 

WAP,    OF   THE  BEBELLIOm 

Rabidiiess  of  the  Politicians  Previous  to  tlie  Eebellion— Stupendous 
Effort  of  Massachusetts  in  Suppressing  It — War  a  Terrible  Agent 
in  Civilization — Call  for  a  Town  Meeting,  April  20th,  1861 — 
Patriotic  Resolves  of  the  Town — Names  of  the  Men  who  En- 
listed in  June,  1861,  and  were  Mustered  into  the  Sixth 
Massachusetts  Volunteers — Men  of  the  Twenty-Sixth  Massachu- 
setts Regiment — Account  of  the  Thirty-Third  Regiment,  and 
the  Townsend  men  in  the  same — Re-enlistment  of  the  Xine 
Months  Men  in  the  Old  Sixth  Regiment,  in  August,  1862— The 
Fifty-Third  Regiment  of  Massachusetts  Volunteers  for  -Nine 
Months — Sketch  of  Capt.  Anson  D.  Fessenden — Names  and 
Terms  of  Service  of  Townsend  Men  in  Various  Regiments — 
Roll  of  Townsend  Men  Belonging  to  the  Twenty-Fourth  Massa- 
chusetts Heavy  Artillerj^ — Roll  of  the  One  Hundred  Days  Men 
who  Enlisted  July  7,  1864— Patriotism  of  our  Young  Men,  and 
the  Number  of  them  Killed  and  who  Lost  their  Lives — Aid 
Aftorded  by  the  Ladies  of  Townsend  to  the  Sanitary  Com- 
mission.       259—284, 


CHAPTER  Xn. 

LAWYERS,  PHYSICIANS,  AND  COLLEGE  GRADUATES. 

.AAVYERS :  Walter  Hastings— Aaron  Keyes— Frederick  A.  Worcester. 
Physicians  :  Joseph  Adams — Samuel  Hosley— Isaac  Mullikin— 
Samuel  Lovejoy — Moses  Kidder — John  Bertram — Ebenezer  P. 
Hills — Augustus  G.  Stickney — John  Heard — Royal  B.  Boynton— 
Charles  J.  Towne.  Coli>ege  Graduates:  John  Hubbard— 
Abraham  Butterfield — Daniel  Adams — Joseph  Walker — William 
Farmer— John  Stevens — Joel  Giles — John  Graham— John  Giles 
— Charles  Brooks — Warren  Brooks — Mark  Davis — Charles  T. 
Haynes— John  M.  Proctor— Randall  Spaulding— Eliel  S.  Ball— 
Wayland   Spaulding.        285—320. 


12  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

PROMINENT  INDI VID  UALS. 

Samuel  Stone— Ralph  Warren— James  X.  Tucker— James  Hosley 
—Walter  Hastings— John  Spaukling— Levi  Wallace— Stillman 
Haynes— The  Warrens.        .321—339. 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

MISCELLANEO US  SUBJECTS. 

Town  Library  and  its  Origin— Fire  Department— Odd  Fellows— Sketch 
of  Albert  L.  Fessenden— Townsend  National  Bank— The  Ladies' 
Benevolent  Society  of  the  Orthodox  Congregational  Church— 
Townsend  Cornet  Band— Stage  Coaches— Post-Offlces  and  Post- 
masters.       340 — 355. 

CHAPTER  XV. 

TOWN  OFFICERS. 

Some  Eemarkable  Votes  of  the  Town— Good  Sense  of  the  Town 
About  Taxes— Names  of  the  Town  Clerks.  Moderators,  Select- 
men, and  Representatives,  from  the  Time  the  Town  was  Char- 
tered to  1879— Justices  of  the  Peace— County  Road  Through 
Groton— Deer    Reeves — Hog    Reeves— Titliing-Men.         356—384. 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

MARRIAGES. 

jMarriages  of  Townsend  People  from  the  Incorporation  of  tlie  Town 
to   the  Present  Time.        38.5—428. 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

DESCENDANTS  OF  DANIEL  ADAMS.— THE  WHITNEY  FAMILY. 

Record  of  the  Descendants  of  Daniel  Adams,  wJio  settled  in  Town- 
send,  in  1742— The  Whitney  Family  as  Benefactors  and  Business 
Men— Genealogy  of  some  of  the  Townsend  Whitneys.     429—455. 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Page. 

MAP  OF   THE   TOWN 13 

REV.  DAVID    PALMER 102 

REV.   LUTHER   H.  SHELDON 110 

HON.    SETH    DAVIS 237 

HON.    WALTER    FESSENDEN ...245 

ABRAM   S.  FRENCH 248 

ANSON   D.    FESSENDEN 2T3 

FREDERICK   A.  WORCESTER,  Esq 288 

JOEL   GILES,   Esq 308 

ELIEL   S.   BALL,  A.  M 318 

RALPH    WARREN 326 

JAMES   N.  TUCKER,  Esq ...328 

WALTER    HASTINGS 331 

HON.  JOHN  SPAULDING 332 

HON.  LEVI  WALLACE 334 

STILLMAN   HAYNES,   Esq 336 

LEVI    WARREN 338 

ALBERT   L.   FESSENDEN 344 

ALFRED  M.  ADAMS 440 


^^i/^^-^^!:^- 


fO^ 


c  ^^^"^  :^n 


CHAPTER  I. 

PHYSICAL  GEOGBAPHY  OF  THE  TOWN. 

Hills — Streams    and    Brooks— Ash     Swamp— Wild    Animals— Fishes- 
Birds — Name  of  the  Town — Population. 

The  town  of  Townsend  is  situated  in  the  northwest 
angle  of  Middlesex  County.  Massachusetts,  in  latitude 
42°  38'  north,  and  longitude  71°  43'  west.  It  is  on  the 
northern  margin  of  the  State,  adjoining  New  Hampshire, 
is  forty  miles  northwesterly  from  Boston,  and  hftv-six 
miles  southerly  from  Concord,  New  Hampshire. 

In  1792,  the  selectmen  of  Townsend.  in  company 
with  the  selectmen  of  the  seven  adjoining  to\\ns,  each  in 
their  turn,  caused  an  accurate  survey  of  the  town  and  a 
plan  thereof  to  be  made.  The  several  boundaries  of  the 
town,  since  that  date,  have  remained  unaltered  in  the  least 
particular.  By  that  survey  it  is  bounded,  as  follows  : — 
"Beginning  at  the  northeast  corner  and  running  south  4° 
west  on  Pepperell  line  300  rods  to  Groton  old  corner ; 
thence  south  14°  west  on  Pepperell  line  880  rods  to  the 
northwest  corner  of  Groton  ;  thence  south  14°  west,  on 
Groton  line  270  rods  to  the  northwest  corner  of  Shirley  : 
thence  south  14°  west  on  Shirley  line  500  rods  to  the 
northeast  corner  of  Lunenburg;   thence   north   62 j^'^  west 


14  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

1880  rods  to  the  northwest  corner  of  Lunenburg,  in  the 
east  line  of  Ashby  ;  thence  north  9°  east  by  Ashby  line 
1360  rods  to  the  northeast  corner  of  Ashb}'  ;  thence  south 
82i<^°  east  bv  the  State  line  and  Mason  south  line  1106 
rods  to  the  soutiieast  corner  of  Mason  ;  thence  by  the  State 
line  and  the  south  line  of  Brookline  760  rods  to  the  point 
of  beginning;  and  contains  by  estimation  19,271  acres." 

The  town  contains  a  trifle  more  than  five  and  one-half 
miles  square,  or  thirty  and  one-ninth  square  miles. 

The  surface,  except  that  portion  near  the  river,  is 
highly  diversified  with  hills  and  valley's.  On  the  banks  of 
the  Squanicook,  through  the  entire  length  of  the  town, 
there  are  areas  of  level,  sandy  plains.  Some  of  these, 
that  are  only  slightly  elevated  above  the  natural  surface  of 
the  river,  are  fertile  and  afford  good  remuneration  to  the 
husbandman  for  his  toil. 

The  rocks  are  ferruginous  gneiss,  Merrimack  schist 
and  St.  Johns  group.  There  are  ledges  of  gneiss,  that 
afford  large  quantities  of  stone  for  building  purposes. 
Some  of  them  can  be  split  and  worked  to  good  advantage  ; 
and  only  the  small  portion  of  iron,  which  is  one  of  their 
constituent  parts,  prevents  a  much  more  extensive  use  of 
them.  On  the  east  side  of  the  Nissequassick  Hill,  a  vein 
of  plumbago  crops  out,  which  has  never  been  investigated 
and  nothing  is  known  in  regard  to  its  quality  or  value. 
On  the  hills  are  a  few  large  boulders,  some  of  which  at  a 
certain  period  were  travellers  b\-  iceberg,  the  most  con- 
spicuous of  which  is  situated  on  the  west  side  of  the  Lun- 
enburg road,  on  the  summit  of  Bayberry  Hill. 

The  borders  of  the  town,  except  at  the  southeastern 
part  are  hilly.  The  prmcipal  hills  are  Nissequassick  Hill, 
West  Hill,  Barker  Hill,  Battery  Hill  and  Bavberrv  Hill. 


PHYSICAL    GEOGRAPHY.  15 

"NissEQUASSicK  Hill"  embraces  the  northeastern  part 
of  the  town  from  the  Harbor  to  the  State  line,  the  northern 
slope  extending  into  New  Hampshire.  Since  the  settle- 
ment of  the  town,  this  hill  has  been  more  densely  popu- 
lated than  any  other  portion  thereof  except  the  villages. 
It  contains  some  rough  ledges  and  broken  crags  on  its 
eastern  brow,  except  which,  it  has  few  ravines  or  abrupt 
elevations;  and  its  soil,  although  some  rocky,  is  generallv 
Ht  for  the  plow. 

It  is  a  graceful  elevation  and  has  manv  stand  points 
commanding  views  of  scenic  beautv.  Manv  charming 
prospects,  worthy  of  an  ascent  to  behold,  may  be  seen 
from  its  summit.  The  Monadnock,  the  Watatic,  the 
Wachusett  and  the  bold  elevations  at  the  north,  including 
Jo  English  Hill,  together  with  the  mountains  of  New 
Ipswich,  Peterborough  and  Lyndeborough  in  New  Hamp- 
shire, are  distinctly  visible  and  stand  out  in  bold  relief, 
resembling  turrets  in  the  sk\-  belonging  to  the  walls  of 
some  etherial  world.  The  farm-buildings  situated  on  the 
summit  of  this  hill  are  in  plain  sight  of  several  towns  at 
the   west  and   northwest. 

West  Hill,_  situated  west  and  nearly  opposite  the 
hill  just  described,  of  about  the  same  elevation,  lies  also 
in  the  northern  part  of  the  town,  extending  further  into 
New  Hampshire.  It,  however,  does  not  take  up  so  much 
of  the  territory  of  the  town  ;  neither  is  it  so  well  adapted 
to  cultivation  as  Nissequassick  Hill.  It  contains  ledgy, 
waste  lands,  in  which  are  wild  ravines  and  swamps  caused 
by  rocky  barriers,  which  impede  the  natural  course  of  the 
rivulets.  Two  or  three  farms  on  its  summit  constitute  all 
the  soil  on  this  hill  suitable  for  cultivation  :  and  most  of  the 


10  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSENl). 

land  is  covered  with  a  growth  of  forest  trees  of  different 
sizes  and  ages,  for  which  purpose  it  is  best  adapted.  Clos- 
ing up  to  this  hill  on  the  west  comes  :  — 

Barker  Hill,   sometimes  called  "Walker    Hill," 

it  being  at  one  time  the  place  of  residence  of  Deacon 
Samuel  Walker.  The  eastern  brow  of  this  hill  contains 
some  good  soil,  on  which  are  two  or  three  well  cultivated 
farms.  The  balance  of  its  territory  is  ver}-  rough  and 
ledgv,  being  the  largest  tract  of  uninhabited  land  in 
Townsend. 

It  is  ditiicult  to  reach  its  summit,  with  a  team,  from 
the  west.  Just  before  the  present  lull  in  business,  the  high 
price  of  lumber  caused  the  removal  of  the  original  growth 
from  one  hundred  acres  near  its  highest  point,  at  the  price 
of  ten  thousand  dollars.  Many  proud  and  stately  conifers, 
which  withstood  the  wintry  winds  of  more  than  a  centur\-, 
yielded  to  the  woodman's  axe,  falling  to  the  rock  bound 
surface  with  a  crash  like  a  clap  of  "live  thunder."  Thus 
disappeared  about  the  last  remnant  of  the  "old  growth" 
in  Townsend.  It  is'  covered  mostly  like  West  Hill  with 
a  voung  growth  of  timber. 

Battery  Hill  is  a  name  applied  to  a  part  of  an 
unbroken  spur  of  the  Turkey  Hills,  which  extends  from 
Pearl  Hill  in  Fitchburg,  north  to  New  Ipswich.  New 
Hampshire,  bordering  the  whole  western  line  of  the  town. 
The  name  was  applied  to  that  part  of  this  range  over 
which  passes  the  old  road  from  West  Townsend  to  Ashb}-. 
extending  perhaps  a  mile  both  north  and  south  of  this 
thoroughfare.  It  was  so  called  from  a  garrison-house, 
w  hich  stood  near  its  Inise,   on   or   in   which   a   cannon   was 


PHYSICAL    GEOGRAPHY.  17 

placed    by    the    settlers   to   give    an    alarm    in    case   of  the 
incursions  of  Indians. 

A  few  farms  on  this  hill,  at  the  west  and  northwest  of 
Ash  Swamp,  are  of  excellent  quality,  the  soil  containing 
just  enough  argillaceous  matter  to  prevent  the  cultivated 
fields  from  being  washed  by  the  heavy  rains,  and  to  hold 
moisture  during  the  drouths  of  summer. 

Bayberry  Hill  in  the  southwest  part  of  the  town 
has  nearl}'  half  its  territorv  in  Lunenburg.  On  the  north 
and  west  sides  of  this  hill  its  ascent  is  c[uite  steep  and  the 
approaches  to  its  summit  are  somewhat  difficult.  Several 
hundred  acres  on  its  top  are  comparativeh'  level.  The 
farms  here  are  rocky,  and  the  land  is  cold  and  backward 
in  the  spring.  Some  of  our  best  peach  orchards,  which 
are  a  source  of  much  pecuniar\'  profit  to  their  owners,  are 
on  this  hill.  Their  northern  exposure  keeps  the  buds 
from  too  early  a  start  in  the  spring,  thereby  preventing 
injur}-  from  late  trosts.  There  is  a  point  on  the  summit  of 
this  hill  from  which  a  prospect  of  panoranfic  beauty  may 
be  seen  in  the  distance,  having  the  three  villages  of  Town- 
send  in  the  tbreground,  situated  about  equidistant  in  an 
elongated  basin,  widening  from  the  northwest  to  the  south- 
east and  shut  in  by  these  hills,  dotted  with  white  dwellings, 
pastures,  fields  and  tbrests. 

Ash  Swamp  is  a  large  tract  of  land,  situated  at  the 
eastern  base  of  Battery  Hill,  containing  about  three  hun- 
dred acres.  Nearly  half  of  this  territory  has  produced 
grass  naturally,  from  time  immemorial.  The  land  in  this 
swamp,  Irom  the  settlement  of  the  town  to  the  present 
time,  has  been  coveted   and  owned  by   many   persons,   in 


18  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

quantities  varying  from  two  to  four  acres.  The  fodder  for 
a  stock  of  cattle  during  the  winter  was  considered  by  the 
farmers  as  incomplete  without  a  ton  or  more  of  Ash  Swamp 
hay. 

Mr.  Hill  in  his  history  of  Mason  (page  60),  in  order 
to  show  how  carelessly  records  were  made  bv  the  New 
England  town  clerks  in  the  days  of  yore,  very  properh- 
quotes  from  the  Townsend  records  of  1737,  the  la\ing  out 
of  a  road  as  a  case  in  point.  Ash  Swamp  was  the  objective 
point  "where  Horsley  and  Wallis  and  Brown  and  Wyman 
and  Woodbviry  goeth  along  for  their  ila^■." 

"Little  Goose  Pond"  is  situated  on  the  old  turnpike, 
just  east  of  where  the  Potunk  school-house  stood.  At 
present,  the  pond  is  much  smaller  than  it  was  at  the  time 
this  record  was  made,  it  having  been  partially  drained. 
There  is  a  drive-way  through  the  edge  of  this  pond  from 
the  turnpike,  tor  the  purpose  of  watering  animals.  The 
pond  around  its  edges  is  at  present  grown  up  with  tlags. 
reeds  and  brush.  "The  Hither  Goose  Pond"  is  tlie  small 
pond  located  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  mile  east  of  Little  Goose 
Pond,  sometimes  called  Davis  Pond. 

"Rackkoon  Brook"  drains  in  part  the  southern  slope 
of  West  Hill,  crossing  the  road  a  few  rods  at  the  ^^■est  of 
the  house  of  the  widow  of  the  late  Adams  Reed.  This 
road,  the  hn-ing  out  of  which  is  quoted  by  Mr.  Hill,  start- 
ed from  the  southeast  corner  of  Ash  Swamp,  near  the 
mouth  of  Pearl  Hill  Brook  (where  there  was  a  bridge 
across  the  Squanicook),  running  easterly  to  a  jioint  on 
the  turnpike  near  where  the  Potunk  school-house  stood, 
thence  as  tlie  turnpike  is   now    traxelled.    till   it   crosses   the 


PHYSICAL    GEOGRAPHY.  19 

road  leading  eastward  from  West  Townsend ;  thence  by 
that  road,  passing  near  No.  12  school-house,  and  onward 
southeasterly  over   Hathorn's   Brook,    on    the  line  of  the 


There  are  many  instances  in  the  town  records  con- 
cerning roads  and  lands,  the  laying  out  of  which  are  much 
more  obscure  and  difficult  to  locate  than  the  one  cited  in 
the  history  of  Mason. 

It  must  be  easily  inferred  that  the  town  surrounded  by 
these  hills  must  be  well  watered  by  the  rivulets,  brooks 
and  streams,  which  flow  down  their  sides  and  at  their 
bases,  into  the  principal  stream,  which  occupies  the  lowest 
level  of  its  central  basin. 

The  Koran  says  :  "God  is  one;  He  has  no  partner. 
God  is  good  ;  He  sendeth  rain  and  water  from  the  hills  to 
cheer  the  waste  places  and  to  quench  the  parching  thirst 
of  all  that  drink." 

The  Sqiianicook,  running  through  the  town  from 
the  northwest  to  the  southeast,  drains  large  areas  of  land 
outside  of  Townsend.  It  is  not  very  crooked  ;  its  general 
direction,  in  nautical  terms,  being  nearly  southeast  by 
south  until  it  approaches  within,  perhaps,  a  mile  of  the 
border  of  the  town,  where  it  makes  a  detour  to  the  right 
and  passes  out  between  the  corners  of  Groton  and  Shirley, 
and  tbrms,  in  its  onward  course,  the  boundarv  between 
these  towns,  till  it  empties  its  waters  into  the  Nashua.  This 
river  and  its  tributaries  have  furnished  motive  power  both 
in  and  out  of  town,  which   has  been  utilized  since  1734,  at 


20  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

more  than  twentv-tive  different  places.  There  are  high- 
ways and  bridges  crossing  it  at  six  different  phices,  com- 
mencing at  West  Townsend  and  ending  at  the  Harbor. 

The  principal  tributaries  to  the  Squanicook  are  the 
following,  viz  : — 

WiNSHiP  Brook  has  its  source  in  the  rough  meadows 
at  the  westward  of  Mason  Centre,  where  it  receives  the 
water  trom  Merriam  Hill  and  the  southerly  slopes  of  the 
hills  situated  north  of  that  point.  It  runs  to  the  south, 
taking  the  waters  of  several  brooks  in  its  course,  till  it 
flows  into  the  northeast  corner  of  Ash  Swamp.  The  Win- 
ships,  at  different  times,  lived  on  both  sides  of  this  brook  : 
one  of  the  name  owning  a  mill  on  it ;  hence  the  name. 
During  a  drouth  this  brook  is  dry,  but  when  the  snow 
leaves  in  the  spring,  or  after  a  hea^•y  fall  of  rain,  its  cur- 
rent seems  hurrving  along  as  though  fearful  of  being 
late  in  putting  in  an  appearance  at  the  swamp. 

The  Walker  Brook  comes  down  by  the  side  of  the 
Greenville  road  and  runs  into  the  northwest  corner  of  Ash 
Swamp,  discliarging  its  water  into  the  Winship  Brook, 
both  of  which  united,  constitute  the  Squanicook  at  its 
start,  having  its  source  in  the  southern  part  of  Greenville, 
New  Hampshire,  and  taking  in  through  its  course,  waters 
from  the  corners  of  Ashby  and  New  Ipswich. 

Locke  Brook  has  its  origin  among  the  rough  ledges 
and  swamp  holes  in  the  south  part  of  New  Ipswich,  at  the 
north  of  the  Ashby  alms-house.  It  took  its  name  Irom 
Hon.  John  Locke,  once  a  member  of  Congress  from  this 
district,  who  lived  on   one   of  tlie   Ashbv   farms,   through 


PHYSICAL    GEOGRAPHY.  21 

which  it  passes.  It  runs  across  the  northeast  angle  of 
Ashby,  and  down  a  wild  ravine,  through  which  it  enters 
the  westerly  side  of  Ash  Swamp,  penetrating  nearly 
through  the  same  till  within  a  few  rods  of  the  Squani- 
cook,  where  it  joins  Willards  Stream.  This  brook  is  fed 
by  rivulets  and  springs,  no  brook  of  any  size  emptving 
into  it  during  its  whole  course. 

Willards  Stream,  probably  called  for  Samuel  Wil- 
lard,  who  commanded  a  company  of  scouts  in  1725,  which 
marched  northwesterly  from  Lancaster,  Massachusetts,  in 
pursuit  of  Indians,  is  the  largest  tributary  of  the  Squani- 
cook.  Its  source  is  a  reservoir  situated  in  the  southwest 
part  of  Ashby.  It  drains  the  easterly  slope  of  Blood  Hill, 
a  part  of  which  is  in  Ashburnham.  About  two-thirds  of 
the  area  of  the  town  of  Ashb}'  is  drained  bv  this  stream. 
After  it  leaves  Ashby,  south  village,  where  its  waters  are 
utilized  considerably,  its  course  is  easterly.  For  the  dis- 
tance of  half  a  mile  before  it  reaches  the  margin  of  Town- 
send,  its  channel  is  deeply  sunken  between  the  hills,  where 
it  rushes  onward,  down  the  ravine  and  over  its  rocky  bed, 
Ibaming  and  howling  in  its  mad  career,  till  impeded  in  its 
course  by  a  massive  stone  dam  thrown  across  the  stream, 
where  it  partially  "waits  further  orders."  Its  largest  trib- 
utary is  Trapp  Falls  Brook,  which  leaps  into  it  just  before 
it  leaves  the  town  of  Ashby.  It  discharges  its  waters  into 
the  river,  in  the  southeasterly  part  of  Ash  Swamp. 

Pearl  Hill  Brook  has  its  source  from  the  springs 
of  Pearl  Hill,  in  Fitchburg.  Its  course  is  northerly  through 
a  valley  between  a  spur  of  the  Turkey  Hills  and  the 
w^estern  slope  of  Bayberry   Hill,   in   connection  with  other 


'rZ  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

highlands  adjoining  in  Lunenburg.  This  is  a  favorite 
brook.  It  is  never  dry  ;  and  it  seldom  remains  frozen  over 
in  the  winter  for  any  length  of  time.  There  is  a  drive-way 
through  it  from  the  Ashby  road,  which  is  much  used  for 
watering  horses.  This  is  the  fifth  and  last  brook  that  flows 
into  the  river  in  Ash  Swamp,  closing  in  there  just  below 
the  mouth  of  Willards  Stream. 

A  brook  flowing  to  the  southwest,  along  the  east  base 
of  Nissaquassick  Hill,  near  Pepperell  line,  afterwards 
receiving  the  brook  from  the  south  side  of  the  same  hill, 
discharges  considerable  water  into  the  river  at  the  Harbor. 

A  nameless  stream  which  takes  its  rise  near  the  Old 
Citv,  and  runs  northeasterly  into  the  river  between  the 
centre  of  the  town  and  the  Harbor,  and  Witch  Brook, 
whicli  runs  across  the  southeast  angle  of  the  town,  and 
empties  into  the  river  easterlv  of  Samuel  F.  Warren's 
house,  together  with  those  already  described,  are  all  the 
tributaries  of  the  Squanicook  from  this  town,  the  waters 
of  which  have  been  or  are  at  present  used  for  mill  pur- 
poses. 

There  are  only  a  few  natural  ponds  in  this  town,  and 
these  are  quite  small  : — 

WoRDEN  Pond,  a  small  sheet  of  clear  water,  is  sit- 
uated in  the  west  part  of  the  town,  near  Ashby  line.  It 
has  no  visible  outlet ;  and  it  has  been  thought  that  it  has 
some  subterranean  connection  with  Pearl  Hill  Brook, 
through  which  that  stream  becomes  replenished.  About 
1790,  a  pond  now  known  as — 

"Dkaix  Pond."  situated  on  the  sand}'  hill  northerly  ol 
Worden  Pond,    was   carelessly   drained   "just  for  fun."  bv 


PHYSICAL    GEOGRAPHY.  23 

some  hunters,  who  were  basking  in  the  Indian  summer 
sun  on  its  shores.  The  pond  was  full  to  its  brim,  swollen 
by  the  autumnal  rains.  A  few  scratches  were  made 
through  the  leaves  and  dirt  from  the  water  to  the  outer 
edge,  at  first  causing  a  little  current,  which  soon  widened 
and  widened,  till  the  whole  pond  ran  off  with  a  tremen- 
dous roar,  carrying  fish,  sand,  and  small  trees  uprooted  in 
its  track,  a  long  distance.  Since  that  time,  thousands  of 
loads  of  its  mud  deposits  have  been  taken  from  its  bed  and 
used  in  composts  for  agricultural  purposes. 

Walker  Pond  is  situated  about  half-way  from  West 
Townsend  to  the  centre  of  the  town,  a  short  distance  to 
the  north  of  the  highwa}'.  It  was  purposely  drained  to  its 
present  dimensions,  more  than  one  hundred  vears  ago,  bv 
the  proprietors  of  the  lands  around  its  shores,  in  order  to 
obtain  the  soil  \\hich  laid  beneath  its  waters.  Large 
quantities  of  mud  have  been  removed  from  the  bed  of  this 
pond. 

The  Harbor  Pond  is  a  beautiful  sheet  of  water, 
which  came  into  existence  in  1734,  by  the  dam  necessary 
lor  the  first  mill  privilege  ever  improved  in  this  town. 

The  river,  brooks  and  ponds,  of  this  town,  abound 
with  the  fish  common  to  this  vicinitv.  In  order  that  the 
students  of  natural  history  of  the  next  centurv  mav  know 
\\'hat  varieties  of  the  finn}'  tribe  tVequent  these  waters, 
at  the  present  time,  their  names  are  here  given  :  The  brook 
trout  (sal/no  fontinalis)  ;  pickerel  (csox  rcticiilatis)  \  perch 
(■pcrca  favcsceus)  ;  shiner  (stilhc  chrisoleucas)  :  bream 
( poiiiot/s  Tiilgaris)  ;    chub    or   dace   (Icucisciis   ccp/ialus)  ; 


24  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

horned  pout  (^imclodiis  catus)  ;  the  eel  (anguilla  tenuiros- 
tris),  and  the  black  sucker  (catostomus).  Worden  Pond 
has  many  visitors  in  the  winter  for  pickerel  tishing  through 
the  ice.  When  the  river  is  first  covered  in  winter,  while 
the  ice  presents  a  clear,  vitreous  appearance,  holes  are  cut 
through  it,  at  which  two  persons  are  generally  stationed 
with  poles  having  hooks  firmly  attached.  Some  of  the 
sportsmen  then  go  up  the  river  on  its  banks,  a  consid- 
erable distance,  and  getting  upon  the  ice,  commence 
pounding  and  stamping  to  make  a  noise,  which  frightens 
the  black  sucker.  This  shy  fish  will  commence  running 
from  its  enemies,  and  pass  the  hole  in  t^-^e  ice,  where  the 
hooks  are  let  down  into  the  clear  water,  when  they  become 
an  easy  prey,  being  snatched  up  with  a  dexterous  jerk. 

Spearing  b}'  torchlight  was  forbidden  by  an  act  of  the 
town  more  than  a  century  ago,  but  now  in  spring-time, 
Jack-o-lanterns  may  be  seen,  during  the  dark  evenings, 
hovering  along  the  banks  of  the  Squanicook.  The  whole 
routine  of  fishing  is  carried  so  much  to  the  extreme,  that 
the  angler  seldom  meets  with  his  anticipated  "luck." 

The  wild  animals  of  any  New  England  locality 
change  so  much  at  different  periods,  that  it  appears  neces- 
sary to  particularize.  When  the  town  was  settled,  a  heavy 
growth  of  wood  covered  its  whole  area.  Pitch  pine,  elm 
and  maple,  constituted  the  principal  growth  along  the  light 
land  bordering  on  the  river,  while  the  hills  were  thickly 
covered  with  white  pine,  oak.  hemlock,  black  birch, 
cherry  tree,  chestnut,  and  walnut. 

Through  these  forests  roamed  the  bear,  wolf  and  deer, 
each  of  which  turned  its  course  from  the  smoke  of  the  log- 
house  of  the  Puritan.  The  deer  remained  longest,  from 
the  fact  that  all  the  towns  on  the  frontier,   at  the  return  of 


PHYSICAL    GEOGRAPHY.  25 

each  annual  town  meeting,  chose  officers,  whose  duties 
were  to  protect  the  deer  during  their  breeding  season. 
These  officers  were  called  "deer  reeves."  The  beaver  has 
left  marks  of  his  presence,  in  several  places,  on  some  of 
the  small  brooks.  A  tradition  has  come  down  that  a  cer- 
tain rough  swamp  in  the  north  part  of  the  town,  crossed 
in  part  by  the  Brookline  road,  was  the  last  place  which 
this  cvmning  animal  inhabited  while  here.  To  this  day, 
the  brook  running  through  this  swamp  is  called  "Beaver 
Hole  Brook."  The  otter  (sutra),  although  well  adapted 
to  self-preservation,  is  occasionally  taken  here  in  a  trap. 
This  animal  leaves  a  peculiar  track  in  the  snow,  so  that 
when  the  streams  and  swamps  are  covered  with  ice  so  that 
it  cannot  travel  in  them  in  its  journeys  from  pond  to  pond, 
it  is  occasionally  overtaken  and  shot.  The  mink  not  hav- 
ing the  bump  of  caution  like  its  ''great  uncle,"  the  otter, 
frequently  leaves  the  water  courses  and  makes  a  raid  on 
the  farmers'  poultry-yard,  once  in  a  while  at  the  expense 
of  its  life.  Foxes  and  woodchucks  are.  perhaps,  as 
numerous  here  as  at  any  former  period,  while  the  raccoon 
is  met  less  frequently,  probably  owing  to  the  destruction  of 
most  of  the  heavy  forests.  The  red  and  striped  squirrels 
are  numerous.  The  grey  squirrel  is  less  frequently  seen 
than  formerly,  while  the  flying  squirrel  (volncclla )  is 
often  seen,  which  is  certainly  one  of  the  most  curious, 
soft,  gentle  and  beaudful  of  all  living  things. 

"The  Fowls  of  the  Air"  found  here  are  not  different 
from  those  in  other  places  in  this  latitude.  Formerly  the 
wild  pigeon  was  so  abundant,  that  the  catching  and  mar- 
keting of  these  birds  took  up  the  time  of  three  or  four  ot 
our  cidzens  for  the  season.  During  the  past  five  or  six 
years  scarcely  a  flock  has  been  seen.      Partridges   ( houesa 


•>i)  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

mnhelliis)  are  plenty  ;  and  the  three  notes  in  succession  of 
the  quail,  frequently  greet  the  ear  of  the  husbandman. 

The  crow  is  very  familiar  with  the  farms  and  fields 
throughout  the  town  ;  amid  the  improvements  of  the  times, 
including  the  whistle  of  the  locomotives,  the  ringing  of 
bells,  and  the  sharp  crack  of  the  breach-loading  rifle,  he 
flaps  his  wings  in  the  face  of  commerce,  and  steals  from 
the  corn-fields  as  adroitly  as  an  office-holding  politician. 
The  owl  still  assumes  his  wonted  gravity,  and  jealous  of 
"Old  Probabilities,"  he  heralds  the  storm  with  his  three 
"hoo,  hoo,  hooas,"  in  notes  that  reverberate  among  the 
hills.  The  migratory  birds,  the  sweet  forest  singers  of 
June,  and  the  confiding  creatures,  which  build  their  nests 
around  the  garden  walls  and  near  the  habitations  of  man. 
and  wake  him  to  his  morning  duties,  all  appear  in  their 
season  to  cheer  and  gladden  the  human  heart. 

At  present  the  arborial  productions  of  the  town  are 
principally  white  pine,  pitch  pine,  three  or  four  kinds 
of  oak,  hemlock,  maple,  two  or  three  kinds  of  birch, 
chestnut,  walnut,  elm,  ash  and  cherry.'  The  probability- 
is  that  eventually  chestnut  will  become  the  most  valuable 
timber  of  any  to  be  found  here. 

As  a  farming  town,  Townsend  is  inferior  to  Lunen- 
burg and  other  towns  in  Worcester  county,  but  compared 
with  the  other  joining  towns,  it  is  naturally  as  good,  and 
better  than  some  of  them.  The  farms  have  been  neglected 
so  that  agriculture  is  not  a  branch  of  industry  of  which 
the  people  are  particularly  proud.  Too  much  attention  has 
been  given  to  the  coopering  business,  to  the  detriment  of 
good  cows,  cleanly  cultivated  fields,  and  well  filled  Ixirns, 
yet  its  inhabitants  regard  their  lines  as  having  "fallen  in 
pleasant  places,  and' that  they  have  a  goodly  heritage." 


PHYSICAL    GEOGRAPHY.  27 

The  situation  of  the  town  is  comparatively  favorable 
for  genial  climatic  influences.  The  first  precursor  of 
winter,  in  earnest,  is  seen  on  the  powdered  crests  of  the 
hills  at  the  west  and  northwest,  on  the  mornings  which 
follow  the  cold.  Thanksgiving  rain  storms.  Snow  appears 
in  that  direction,  occasionally,  two  or  three  weeks  before 
its  appearance  on  Townsend  soil.  Certain  changes  in  the 
air  are  noticeable  in  travelling  to  the  northwest  from 
Boston.  In  the  spring,  vegetation  at  Concord,  a  little  out- 
side of  the  ocean  air,  is  different  from  that  at  the  tide- 
water. Commencing  at  the  hills  bordering  Townsend  on 
the  west,  another  atmospheric  change  is  noticeable  ;  while 
at  the  distance  of  twenty-five  miles  further  at  the  north- 
west, there  is  considerable  difference  in  the  climate.  At  the 
same  time  the  extremes  of  heat  and  cold  are  greater  on 
the  plains  here,  than  either  on  our  own  hills  or  those  at 
the  northwest.  The  cold  waves  of  air  following  up  the 
Nashua  and  Squanicook  to  the  Harbor  Pond,  cause  that 
village  and  its  surroundings  to  be  the  most  freezing  locality 
in  town.  The  peach  tree  flourishes  on  the  hills  because 
the  mercury  does  not  otten  fall  to  fourteen  degrees  be- 
low zero ;  while  below  that  point,  the  cold  spoils  the 
bud  which  contains  the  embryon  of  this  delicious  fruit. 
The  mercur\'  at  the  Harbor  has  been  known  to  indicate  a 
temperature  of  thirty-five  degrees  below  zero. 

The  provincial  governor  assumed  the  responsibilitv  of 
giving  names  to  towns  and  counties,  which  were  generallv 
called  for  one  of  his  intimate  friends  or  some  person  of 
rank,  or  of  the  nobility.  Whenever  a  charter  for  a  town 
or  "plantation"  was  granted,  by  the  Assembly,  if  the  Gov- 
ernor did   not   fill    the   blank   left    for   its   name,    when   he 


28  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

signed  it,  the  Secretary  of  State  would  name  it,  frequently 
deferring  to  the  wishes  of  the  grantees.  It  appears  that 
Townsend  and  Harvard  were  both  chartered  the  same 
day,  and  that  the  Governor  selected  a  name  for  the  former ; 
and  that  the  Secretary  named  the  latter.  It  will  scarcely 
be  questioned  that  both  of  these  officials  showed  good  taste 
in  their  choice  of  names.  The  Governor  named  Town- 
shend  in  honor  of  Viscount  Charles  Townshend,  His  Maj- 
esty's Secretary  of  War,  and  his  contemporary.  The 
Secretary  (a  graduate  of  Harvard  University,)  chose  the 
name  of  Harvard,  in  honor  of  John  Harvard,  the  man 
who  laid  the  corner  stone  of  letters  in  the  new  world,  who 
had  been  dead  at  that  time  nearly  a  century,  no  one  know- 
ing the  exact  spot  where  his  ashes  were  deposited.  After 
the  lapse  of  nearly  another  century  (  1828  )  the  graduates 
of  the  university  named  for  him,  with  filial  regard  and 
love  for  generous  deeds,  set  up  an  appropriate  granite 
shaft  at  or  near  his  grave  in  Charlestown. 

His  monument  is  the  University  which  will  live  as 
long  as  there  is  anv  enjoyment  /«  or  remembrance  of 
x\merican  freedom. 

"Charles  Townshend,  second  viscount,  an  English 
statesman,  born  1676,  died  1738.  He  succeeded  to  lijs 
title  at  ten  years  of  age,  and,  soon  after  taking  his  seat  in 
the  House  of  Peers,  attached  to  the  whigs,  to  whose  prin- 
ciples he  remained  faithful  during  his  whole  career.  In 
1705.  he  was  appointed  one  of  the  commissioners  to  treat 
for  the  union  with  Scotland,  and  in  1707,  captain  of  the 
yeomen  of  the  Qiieen's  guard  :  and  in  1709,  in  the  capacity 
of  ambassador  extraordinary  to  the  United  Proxinces,  he 
concluded  the  Barrier  Treaty,  for  which  he  was  denounced 
in  the  House  of  Commons  in   171 2.   as  an  enemy  to  the 


PHYSICAL    GEOGRAPHY.  29 

Queen  and  kingdom.  The  accession  of  George  I.  having 
brought  the  whigs  into  power,  he  was  appointed  one  of 
the  principal  secretaries  of  state,  and  took  the  lead  of  the 
administration  until  the  summer  of  1716,  when,  owing  to 
the  intrigues  of  his  colleagues  in  the  ministry,  Lord  Sun- 
derland and  Gen.  Stanhope,  he  was  dismissed  from  office. 
Upon  the  reconstruction  of  the  Ministry  in  17  21,  he 
resumed  his  old  position  of  state,  Walpole  becoming  hrst 
Lord  of  the  Treasury  and  Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer. 
Walpole  and  Townshend  quarrelled,  and  Townshend  re- 
signed his  office  in  1730  and  retired  to  his  seat  in  Rainham, 
where  he  devoted  the  remainder  of  his  life  to  rural  pursuits. 
He  was  a  man  of  ability,  though  an  indifferent  speaker, 
and  left  office,  says  Lord  Mahon,  'with  a  most  unblemished 
character,  and  what  is  still  less  common — a  most  patriotic 
moderation.'  He  was  somewhat  overbearing  in  manners, 
and  of  an  impetuous  and  irascible  temper."* 

About  1780,  the  town  clerks  and  others  began  to  spell 
Townshend  by  omitdng  the  //  and  giving  it  its  present 
orthography.  Thence  till  about  1800,  the  custom  was  to 
spell  the  w^ord  both  ways  ;  since  which  time  the  correct 
method  of  spelling  has  been  abandoned,  perhaps,  contrary 
to  the  principles  of  good  taste  or  justice. 

The  first  official  census  of  Massachusetts  was  taken  in 
1765,  when  the  population  of  the  State  was  only  238,423, 
a  number  not  quite  equal  to  two-thirds  of  the  present  inhab- 
itants of  the  citv  of  Boston.  The  population  of  the  Com- 
monwealth in  1875.  according  to  the  decennial  census,  was 

*  Eiicyelopiertia  Americana^. 


'M)  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

1,651,912.      At  the  different  periods  when  the   census  has 
been  taken  this  town  has  had  a  popuhition  as  follows  : 


1765- 

598. 

1776, 

821. 

1790. 

993- 

1800. 

1 149. 

I8IO. 

1246. 

1820, 

1482. 

1830, 

1506. 

1840, 

1892, 

1850, 

1947, 

i860. 

2005. 

1865. 

2042 

1875- 

2196. 

This  table  shows  a  regular  gain  of  inhabitants  between 
each  decennial  return,  the  greatest  being  between  1830 
and  1840.  Between  i860  and  1865  the  population  was 
affected  by  the  rebellion.  The  objective  points  of  many 
people  belonging  to  the  rural  towns  of  Massachusetts,  are 
the  large  cities  and  the  west.  Of  this  number  of  fortune 
seekers  and  emigrants,  Townsend  has  furnished  its  full 
share  from  time  immemorial. 


CHAPTER  11. 

LAXD  GEAXTS  AXD  ORIGINAL  PROPRIETORS. 

Frequent  Grants  by  the  Assemblj'— Ilathonr.s  Farm — Jonathan  Dan- 
foith — Grant  of  two  Towns  on  the  westerly  side  of  Groton  west 
line — Pioceedino^s  of  the  Conunittee  assembled  at  Concord  to 
grant  out  said  Townships— Names  of  the  Persons  to  whom  Lots  . 
AN-ere  granted— Some  Account  of  the  Disagreement  between  the 
Proprietors  of  Dunstable  and  the  North  Town— Report  of  Sam- 
uel Danforth  concerning  the  Condition  of  the  North  Town  in 
1730— Charter  of  the  Town  of  Townshend — Other  Land  Grants — 
Cambridge  Grammar  School  Farm — Groton  Gore — Location  of 
the  Province  Line— Earliest  Settlers  known — Allotment  by  the 
Committee  of  the  Proprietors — Account  of  some  Early  Settlers — 
Warrant  for  calling  the  I'irst  Legal  Meeting— Isaac  Spaulding— 
Customs  and  Fashions  of  the  Earlj"-  Settlers — Proceedings  at  the 
First  Meetings  of  the  Proprietors— Proprietoi-s*  Clerks — Modera- 
tors of  the  Meetings  of  the  Proprietors — Influence  of  Concord 
Men  in  the  Settlement  of  the   Town. 

The  incidents  attending  the  settlement  and  progress  of 
any  New  England  town  must  be  interesting  to  many  people. 
Those  persons  who  pass  their  lives  at  or  near  the  place  of 
their  nativity  are  by  nature  patriots  in  the  strictest  sense. 
The  history  of  their  town,  is  nothing  less  than  an  account 
of  the  acts  of  their  ancestors,  their  struggles  with  poverty, 
privation  and  oppression,  under  the  greatest  disadvantages. 
An  eminent  English  jurist  has  said,  that,  "whoever  does  not 
look  back  to  his  ancestors  will  never  look  Ibrward  to  his 
posterity."  The  emigrants  from  our  towns  who  have  made 
themselves   homes  on  the   western   prairies,  men  who   are 


32  HISTORY    OF    TOAVNSEND. 

upholding"  our  flag  wherever  either  commerce  or  diplomacy 
has  ordered  its  presence,  the  tenants  of  some  rude  cabin  on 
the  Pacitic  slope,  all  who  have  gone  out  tVom  us  and  are 
now  actors  in  the  great  theatre  of  merchandise,  the  sailor 
on  his  night  watch  and  the  missionary  at  the  consecrated 
work,  all  ponder  on  the  old  birthplace  with  all-absorbing 
pleasure  as  time  rolls  along.  It  may  be  a  question  whether 
the  lives  of  the  "rude  forefathers"  who  "hewed  down  the 
wilderness;"  endured  all  tlie  hardships  of  a  frontier  life; 
planted  these  colonies  and  gave  to  man  "Freedom  to  wor- 
ship God,"  are  not  more  entitled  to  our  regard  than  are  the 
men  whose  valor  in  the  revolution  freed  us  from  tyrants. 
We  must  not  forget  the  heroic  acts  of  our  people  at  all 
times,  whether  we  consider  their  bravery  during  the  long 
years  of  their  undivided  support  of  the  principles  contained 
in  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  or  tlie  great  eflbrt 
which  placed  that  stupendous  army  in  the  Held  which 
fought  the  decisive  battles  of  the' rebellion. 

For  more  than  half  a  century  after  Groton  and 
Dunstable  were  chartered,  all  this  region  at  the  western 
borders  of  these  plantations,  of  which  Town  send  was  a 
part,  remained  an  unbroken  wilderness.  The  most  acces- 
sible lands  on  the  coast  of  the  province  and  along  the 
fertile  banks  of  the  rivers  were  eagerly  sought  for  by  the 
puritans,  while  the  rough  and  unpromising  hills  were 
unchosen  and  unoccupied  by  human  beings.  Even  the 
Indians  had  no  permanent  abode  in  this  vicinity  nearer 
than  Lancaster.  The  barbarities  of  the  savages  in 
murdering  the  inhabitants  and  burning  some  of  the  earliest 
settled  towns  during  the  Indian  wars  caused  these  pioneers 
to  keep  within  easy  distance  of  their  garrison  houses  and 
prevented  the  spreading  of  the  population.     The  territory 


LAND  GRANTS  AND  PROPRIETORS.  33 

of  some  of  the  oldest  towns  was  purchased  of  the  Indians 
for  a  few  pounds  of  tobacco,  some  woolen  blankets  and  a 
handful  of  worthless  trinkets.  The  red  man  laid  no  claim 
to  lands  in  Townsend. 

The  General  Court  from  1660  to  1740  was  liberal  in  its 
land  grants  with  a  view  to  foster  the  subduing  and  settle- 
ment of  the  province,  in  order  to  increase  the  number  of 
churches  and  make  room  for  "the  learned  orthodox 
minister."  Lands  were  also  granted  for  military  and  civil 
services  rendered  the  government,  and  particularlv  for 
educational  purposes.  As  early  as  1660,  a  tract  of  one 
thousand  acres  situated  on  the  Souhegan  river  in  the 
extreme  northwest  corner  of  Milford,  New  Hampshire,  was 
granted  to  the  town  of  Charlestown,  for  a  "School  Farm." 
The  Ancient  and  Honorable  Artillery  Company,  of  Boston, 
had  a  grant  of  one  thousand  acres  of  land  which  is  now  that 
part  of  the  cit}'  of  Nashua,  New  Hampshire,  just  north  of 
its  central  bridge  and  the  factories.  "Boardman's  Farm 
lying  near  the  centre  of  Lunenburg,"  a  tract  of  six  hundred 
and  forty  acres,  was  another  of  these  grants. 

The  lirst  paper  title  to  any  land  in  Townsend  was 
made  on  the  sixth  day  of  September,  1676,  which  conveyed 
to  William  Hathorn  a  mile  square. 

From  the  printed  records  of  the  Colon}'  of  the  Mas- 
sachusetts Bav  in  New  England,  September  6,  1676,  vol- 
ume 5,  page  104  : — 

Copy  of  a  grant  to  William  Hauthorn,  known  in  the 
proprietors'  records  as  "Hathorn's  Farm,"  which  is  a  part 
of  Townsend. 

Layd  out  to  the  Wor^pft'^'  William  Hauthorn  Esq.  six 
hundred  and  forty  acres  of  land,  more  or  less,  lying  in  the 


34  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

Wilderness  on  the  north  of  Groaton  river  at  a  place  called 
by  the  Indians  Wistequassuck,*  on  the  west  side  of  sayd 
hill. 

It  begins  at  a  great  hemlock  tree  standing  on  the  west 
side  of  the  savd  hill  marked  with  H.  and  runns  north  and 
by  eastf  three  hundred  and  twenty  pole  to  a  maple  tree 
marked  w*^'^  H  ;  from  thence  it  runns  West  and  by  north 
three  hundred  and  twenty  pole  to  a  stake  and  stones  ;  from 
thence  it  runns  south  &  by  west  three  hundred  and  twenty 
pole  to  a  great  pine  in  a  little  swamp  marked  w*'^  H  ;  from 
thence  it  runns  east  &  by  south  to  the  first  hemlock. 

All  the  lynes  are  rvnne  &  the  trees  are  well  marked. 
It  contaynes  a  mill  square  and  is  lajd  exactly  square,  as 
may  be  easily  demonstrated  by  y*^  platform  inserted  vnder- 
neath  &  is  on  tile. 

Jonathan  Danfortii,  Survejo'- 

The  court  allows  &  approves  of  this  returne  so  it  inter- 
feres not  w*'^  former  grants. 

This  William  Hauthorn  (sometimes  spelled  Hathorn, 
Hawthorn,  etc)  lived  in  the  town  of  Salem  and  was  a 
prominent  man.  He  was  a  delegate  to  the  Great  and 
General  Court  several  times  and  was  Speaker  in  1661. 
The  town  of  Salem  in  1661  ''voted  that  £10  shall  be 
paid  to  Major  William  Hathorn  the  ensuing  year,  for 
training  the  foot  company."  This  land  was  granted  him 
for  some  ''extra  service"  done  in  the  interest  of  the 
Province. 


*Tlie  word  M'istoc|ii;i>,~nck  in  the  hidiim  laiiirii:mo  sianilios  the  two  pines,  or  the 
place  of  thr  two  piiH  -.  'Plic'  Mitlin-ra|iliy  iiT  ilic  \\  ,inl  i~  (lifVcrciU  in  diflerent  records. 
It  was  geniT.illN  -iiriii'il  \i--c(|iia->i.-k.  It  will  lir  oIi-,tvc(|  iVnni  reading  the  grant. 
that  the  name  \\a,~  aii|'lii-'l  I"  a  paiiirular  localitv  and  not  to  the  whole  town.  The 
summit  of  this  hill  i.-  visilile  ai  a  tiicai  di-taiicc  li'oin  the  southwest,  west,  north  and 
northeast,  rrobably  there  weic  two  cxlraordinary  pines  on  tliis  hill,  which  served 
tlie  aborigines  as  laiidmarks  in  tlnii-  iomiic}  -  I  roni' Lancaster  and  other  i)laces  to  their 
tishing  grounds  at  the  conflucn<e  oi  the  Na-lma  and  Merrimack.  Coos,  the  name  of  a 
county  in  New  Hampshire,  signiiies  in  the  Indian  language  the  /;/«c»— Cohasset,  the 
pine  place. 

t  Surveyed  by  a  mariner's  compass. 


LAND  GRANTS  AND  PROPRIETORS.  35 

The  great  hemlock  which  was  the  southeast  corner 
of  this  grant  must  have  stood  at  or  near  the  house  where 
the  widow  Benjamin  Wallace  now  lives,  the  east  line  of 
the  grant  being  at  or  near  the  west  line  of  the  road  leading 
northerly  from  that  place.  The  northeast  corner  of  the 
same  was  at  the  distance  of  a  mile  from  this  point, 
northerly,  on  the  west  side  of  said  road,  the  grant  running 
a  mile  westerly  from  these  two  corners.  The  great  pine 
at  the  southwest  corner  probably  was  a  short  distance 
northerly  from  the  old  burying  ground.  This  location  was 
undoubtedl}'  selected  b}'  Hathorn's  agent  on  account  of  the 
large  amount  of  meadow  or  swale  land*  embraced  within 
its  limits.  The  people  of  those  times  had  a  large  portion 
of  their  personal  estates  in  horned  cattle  and  sheep,  and 
consequently'  the  eligibility  of  these  lands  that  naturally 
produced  grass.  Nearlv  all  the  meadow  land  in  that 
vicinity  was  within  Hathorn's  mile  square,  and  many  deeds 
and  records  describe  this  tract  as  Hathorn's  meadow,  and 
the  brook  draining  the  same  as  Hathorn's  brook. 

It  appears  that  Major  Hathorn  was  one  of  the  most 
noted  men  of  the  Province  of  Massachusetts  Bay,  and 
that  he  had  more  than  a  military  popularity  from  the  fact 
that  he  was  sent  to  the  mother  country  to  represent  the  in- 
terest of  the  colon V.  That  his  services  were  appreciated 
is  apparent  from  the  fact,  that,  in  1658,  by  a  resolution  of 
the  Great  and  General  Court,  Block  Island  was  "granted 
to  J.  Endicott,  R.  Bellinghem,  D.  Dennisson  and  Major 
William  Hathorn  for  services  to  this  country. "f   It  is  worthy 


*  There  be  likewise  in  divers  places,  great  broad  meadows,  wherein  grow  neither 
shrub  nor  tree,  but  as  much  grass  as  may  be  thi-own  out  witli  a  scythe,  thick  and 
long. —  Wood's  History  of  New  England. 

t  Massachusetts  Archives,  vol.  4.i,  page  70. 


8(5  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

of  notice  that  the  title  and  christian  names  of  all  these 
grantees,  except  Hathorn's,  are  omitted  in  this  grant,  while 
the  ex-governors,  one  of  whom  probably  made  a  draft  of 
the  resolntion,  are  simply  designated  by  the  initial  to  their 
christian  names. 

We  almost  see  Danforth,  who,  two  hnndred  years  ago, 
then  in  the  full  vigor  of  manhood,  taking  his  way  from 
Groton,  on  horseback,  with  a  servant  and  chainmen,  pre- 
pared to  fix  the  bounds  of  this  grant.  How  keenly  he 
scans  the  surroundings.  The  extent  of  one  of  the  greatest 
meadows  in  this  town,  with  its  waving  grass,  all  falls  under 
his  eye.  Notice  the  firm  step,  the  determined  demeanor  as 
he  ascends  the  hill  to  the  "'great  hemlock  marked"  with 
the  first  steel  ever  held  in  the  hands  of  a  white  man  on  that 
hill.  From  that  stand-point  see  him  peering  through  the 
trunks  of  the  great  forest  trees,  on  that  beautiful  September 
morning  to  catch  the  outlines  of  the  Watatic  and  neigh- 
boring summits.  How  exciting  every  prospect.  All  is 
buoyant.  "This  goodly  land  is  a  part  of  my  country,  a 
jewel  in  the  crown  of  his  most  gracious  Majesty."  Alas, 
proud  Englishman,  one  hundred  years  hence  your  King 
will  loose  these  provinces,  and  when  tzvo  hundred  years 
shall  have  passed  away,  the  men  of  your  native  kingdom 
in  company  with  youth  and  beauty,  bringing  the  costly 
tabrics  of  a  great  nation,  will  cross  the  ocean  to  assist  in 
celebrating  the  centennary  of  a  generation  of  men.  which 
"acknowledged  no  man  master." 

The  following  descripti(m  of  Jonathan  Danforth  was 
taken  trom  a  note  by  John  Farmer,  the  distinguished  anti- 
quarian. 


LAND    GRANTS    AND    PROPRIETORS.  37 

"Capt.  Jonathan  Danforth  was  born  in  Framingham,  in 
the  County  of  Suffolk,  in  England,  29  February,  1627, 
and  probabl}^  emigrated  to  this  country  when  young.  His 
family  connections  were  highly  respectable.  From  an 
original  letter  of  Governor  Belcher  in  my  possession,  to  a 
son  of  Mr.  Danforth  it  appears  that  his  family  was  related 
to  the  Governor.  When  the  settlement  of  Shawshin 
(Billerica)  commenced  Mr.  Dantorth  was  among  the  first 
settlers.  He  was  chosen  one  of  the  first  selectmen,  and 
continued  in  that  office  twenty-one  years.  The  records  were 
made  by  him  for  about  twent}'  years.  He  was  elected  the 
first  deputy  to  the  general  court  from  this  town  on  record. 
From  his  eminence  in  surveying,  he  was  frequently  em- 
ployed in  locating  new  towns  and  settlements  in  the 
Provinces  of  New  Hampshire  and  Massachusetts.  The 
plans  of  his  surveys  were  very  numerous.  There  still 
remain  a  large  number  of  them.  While  Mr.  Danforth 
was  justly  celebrated  for  his  eminence  and  distinction  in 
mathematical  knowledge,  by  a  cotemporary,  the  most 
important  part  of  his  character  is  not  concealed  from  view. 
His  piety  gave  him  the  lustre  which  was  most  admired. 
A  poem  on  his  death,  supposed  to  have  been  \n  ritten  by  his 
nephew  Rev.  John  Dantorth.  of  Dorchester,  is  still  extant. 
The  following  extract,  which  I  received  verbalh'  from 
Samuel  Whiting.  Esq.,  is  all  I  have  been  able  to  obtain 
of  it  :— 


■  He  rode  the  circuit:,  chained  great  towns  and  farms 
To  good  behavior;  and  by  well  marked  stations. 
He  fixed  their  bounds  for  many  generations. 
His  art  ne'er  ftiiFd  him,  though  the  load  stone  fiiil'd 
When  of  by  mines  and  streams  it  was  assaiPd; 
All  this  is  charming-,  but  ther's  something  higher 
Gave  him  the  lustre  which  we  most  admire. 


H8  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

"Then  followed  an  account  of  his  piety,  etc.,  which  are 
celebrated  by  the  poet  in  the  versification  peculiar  to  that 
period." 

There  is  nothing  of  further  interest  to  the  town  from 
1676  to  1719-  Perhaps  the  "Native  Americans"  carefully 
examined  the  letter  H  cut  in  the  great  trees  to  mark 
Hathorn's  corners,  as  they  crossed  here  on  the  war  path, 
but  the  deep  silence  of  the  wilderness  remained  unbroken 
by  the  sound  of  the  emigranfs  axe  for  more  than  forty 
years. 

The  foundation  of  our  municipal  rights,  and  all  the 
titles  to  the  real  estate  in  Townsend  (except  Hathorn's 
farm)  rest  on  the  following  grant  from  the  General  Court  in 
1 7 19,  which  was  forty-three  years  after  Danforth  made  the 
survey  and  plan  for  the  mile  square  on  Nissequassick  hill. 
On  account  of  the  importance  of  this  document,  it  is  here 
presented  to  the  reader,  to  show  some  of  the  views  of  the 
puritans  in  regard  to  their  worldly  wisdom  and  their  judg- 
ment concerning  education  and  religion  : — 

■'Anno  Eegni  Regis  Georgii  Magn;«  Britanni;v.  &c.  Sexto. 
^'At  a  great  and  General  Court  or  Assembly  for  his  Maj- 
esty's Province  of  the  Massachusetts  Ba}'  in  New  England, 
begun  and  held  in  Boston,  upon  Wednesday,  the  tw^enty- 
seventh  of  May,  1719,  and  continued  by  Prorogation  to 
Wednesday,  the  fourth  of  November,  17 19.  and  then  met: 
being  their  second  session. 

"Monday,  December  7.  1719. 
"In  the  house  of  Representatives,  the  vote  for  granting 
two  new  towns  \\  as   brought   down    from    the   board,    with 


LAND    GRANTS    AND    PROPRIETORS.  39 

Amendments,  which  were  read   and   agreed   to — And   the 
said  vote  is  as  Ibllows,  viz  : — 

"Voted  that  two  new  Towns,  each  containing  a  Qiiantity 
of  land  not  exceeding  six  miles  square,  be  laid  out  in  as 
regular  Forms,  as  the  Land  will  allow  ;  to  be  settled  in  a 
defensible  manner,  on  the  Westerly  side  of  Groton  West 
line,  and  that  William  Taylor,  Samuel  Thaxter,  Francis 
Fulham,  Esqrs.,  Capt.  John  Shipley,  and  Mr.  Benjamin 
Whittamore,  be  a  Commitee  fully  impowered  to  allot  and 
grant  out  the  land  contained  in  each  of  the  said  towns,  (a  lot 
not  to  exceed  Two  hundred  and  fifty  acres)  to  such  persons, 
and  only  such  as  will  effectuall}-  settle  the  sarile  within  the 
space  of  three  years  next  ensuing  the  laying  out  and 
granting  such  lots  by  the  Committee,  who  are  instructed 
and  directed  to  admit  eighty  families  or  persons  in  each 
Town  at  least,  who  shall  pay  to  the  said  Committee  for  the 
use  of  the  Province,  the  sum  of  Five  Pounds  for  each 
allotment,  which  shall  be  granted  and  allotted  as  aforesaid  : 
and  that  each  person  to  whom  such  lot  or  lots  shall  be 
granted  or  laid  out,  shall  be  obliged  to  build  a  good  Dwell- 
ing House  thereon  and  inhabit  it ;  and  also  to  break  up 
and  fence  in  three  acres  of  land  at  the  least  within  the  Term 
of  three  years  ;  and  that  there  be  laid  out  and  reserved  for 
the  first  settled  Minister,  a  good  convenient  Lot ;  also,  a 
Lot  for  the  School,  and  a  ministerial  lot,  and  a  lot  for 
Harvard  College,  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  acres  each,  and 
that  the  Settlers  be  obliged  to  build  a  good,  convenient 
House  tor  the  Worship  of  God  in  each  of  the  said  Town^, 
within  the  term  of  lour  years  ;  and  to  pay  the  charge  of 
necessary  surveys,  and  the  Committee  for  their  service  in 
and  about  the  premises ;  and  that  the  Committee  give  pub- 
lic notice  of  the  time  and  place  when  and  where  they  will 
meet  to  grant  allotments. 

Consented  to —  Saml.   Shute." 


40  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

The  portion  of  "country  land"  taken  to  form  these 
two  towns  was  known  to  the  people  of  the  province  as 
Turkey  Hills  ;  referring  particularly  to  the  hills  situated  in 
the  south,  southwest  and  west  part  of  these  townships.  The 
committee  appointed  to  allot  and  grant  these  two  townships, 
designated  them  as  North  Town  and  South  Towm.  From 
1 7 19  to  1732  all  references  to  the  territory  which  is  now 
known  as  Townsend  designate  it  as  ''the  North  Town;" 
Lunenburg  of  course  being  the  South  Town. 

The  Harvard  College  library  contains  the  original 
manuscript  record  of  the  proceedings  of  the  committee 
appointed  by  the  Great  and  General  Court  to  allot  and 
grant  the  land  in  these  two  townships.  Through  the 
courtesy  of  John  Langdon  Sible}",  w^ho  while  in  office  was 
one  of  the  few  men  in  New  England  who  possessed  all 
the  learning  and  experience  necessary  for  a  librarian,  the 
writer  has  had  access  to  this  manuscript,  from  which,  that 
part  relating  to  the  North  Town  is  here  inserted  in  full. 
This  manuscript,  nearly  a  century  and  a  half  old,  is 
exceedinoly  interesting  : — 


>=>  J 


"Concord  May  y®  11^*'  1720 

"The  Com^'^''  appointed  &  fully  Impowered  by  y*'  Great 
&  Gen^  Court  or  Assembly  of  His  Majesties  Province  of 
y®  Massachusetts' Bay  in  New  England  at  their  Session  on 
yc  ,^tii  Qf  Dec.  17 19  To  Allot  &  Grant  out  y''  Lands  con- 
tained in  Each  of  v^'  Two  Townships  Last  Granted  by  y^ 
Court  Each  Containing  the  quantity  of  Six  Miles  Squar 
Lying  of.  &  contiguous  to  the  Town  of  Groton  &c.  (x\fter 
public  Notice  Given) 

Meet  at  Conct)rd  in  y''  County  of 
Midd""^  on  Wednesday  y''  Eleventh  of  May  1720  at  y*" 
house  of  Mr.  Jon"'  Hoberd.  In  order  to  Grant  out  S''  Town- 


LAND  GRANTS  AND  PROPRIETORS.  41 

ships,  Agreeable  to  y*'  Order  and  Direction  of  y^  Gen-'' 
Court  ( The  whole  of  s^^  Com^ee  viz  W'  Tailer  &  Samuel 
Tha.xter  Esq'"',  Capt.  John  Shipley  Mr.  Benja.  Whittemore 
And  Fra.  Fullam  Pe  fent )  and  accordingly  Proceeded  to 
Grant  out  f '^  Land  to  y^  Pefons  whose  Names  are  under 
written  on  y*^  other  Sides,  on  v*^  Following  Conditions  & 
Provisions  &c.     Not  otherwise. 

"  i^^  That  Each  and  Every  p  e  fon  to  Whome  a  Lot  is 
or  Shall  be  granted  (No  Allottment  To  Exceed  y*^  quan- 
tity of  250)  shall  be  at  y'^'  Entering  his  Name  with  v'^ 
Com^^''"  To  Pay  Down  y^'  Sum  of  Fifty  Shillings*  in  part, 
and  at  the  Drawing  of  His  Lott,  or  when  the  same  is  Laid 
out  y*^'  Sum  of  Fifty  Shillings  more  in  full  of  y®  Five 
Pounds  for  y^'  use  of  y^'  Province.  And  if  any  Pefon  who 
enters  his  Name  &  Pays  y'*  First  Fifty  Shillings  shall 
Negle(!:t  or  refuse  to  pay  y*"  Last  Fifty  to  Compleat  ^•^  five 
Pounds  as  ordered  by  y^  Gen-''  Court  When  his  Lott  is 
Laid  out  and  Redv  for  Draft,  Every  such  p  efon  shall 
Forfit  his  first  Payment  and  y*^'  Lott  be  Free  to  be  granted 
to  any  other  proper  p  efon  as  y''  Com'*^^'  Shall  See  Meet. 

"2tiiy  That  Every  Pefon  to  Whom  Any  Lott  is  or  shall 
be  granted  Shall  be  and  is  Hereby  Obliged  to  to  Build  a 
good  Dwelling  House  On  his  s'^  Allotment  &  also  break 
up  &  Sufficiently  fence  in  thre  acres  of  Land  at  y^  Least 
Within  y*^  Term  of  Three  Years  after  y'^  s''  Lotts  are  Laid 
out  &  Drawn.     And  so  also  pay  &  Do  Each  of  their  full 


*  Each  man  paid  one  hundred  shillings  (old  tenor)  for  his  one-eightieth  part  of 
Townsend,  which  was  about  $'2.2'2.  reduced  to  Federal  money.  The  province  received 
according  to  this  $177.60  for  the  township  of  Townsend.  "As  many  people  of  the 
present  dav.  wduM  prdbablv  Ibid  it  dinb-ult  to  determine  the  diflerence  between  'Old 
Tenor'  ami  -Lawful  M.m.-v;-  il  ina\  1...  -tatr,l  1i,t,.  that  in  tin-  year  17(li'.  rccourM-  was 
liad  in  tlie  iinivinco  t(.  a  iiaini-  ,inicnr\  .  t  .  -upiiint  tlu-  exiieiiM's  of  <;ovenuiit'iit,  and 
furnisli  a  .-uli-titutc  t(ir  coin  as  a  cin-iilal  iiil;- im'.lium.  'I'he  bills  puriiorted  that  tliev 
would  111-  rnlcriiicd  at  a  certain  time,  whirh  was  done  at  lir.st,  but  it  soon  lu'c.auio  cns- 
toniar\  lo  nMhi^n  them  bv  new  cniis-i.m-.  This  being  done  pretty  lilnTally,  they 
began'lo  di|ir(_''iate  in  value.  In  .Ma--;i'l,n-ctt  -  where  their  value  was  kc|it  np  better 
than  in  the  other  provinces,  the  depreciatiuu  was  at  the  rate  of  seve7i  and  a  half  for  one 
in  specie.  This  acquired  the  name  of  Old  7e«or— seven  shillings  and  sixpence  being 
equal  to  one  shilling  in  silver,  which  was  called  'Lawful  money'  or  nin'epence  sterling 
of  Great  Britain." 


42 


HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 


Proportions  Towards  3^^  building  &  Finishing  a  convenient 
House  for  y*^  Public  Worship  of  God  in  Such  Town  Wher 
his  Lot  shall  Fall,  s''  House  To  be  Finished  in  four  Years 
according  to  y*"  Order  of  Court,  and  Do  also  pay  the 
Necessary  Charge  of  y"  Surve}'s  and  y''  Com^^®  for  Their 
Service  in  &  about  y*^  P  mises. 

''3<iiy  That  Every  Grantee  to  Whom  to  Whom  a  Lott 
is  or  may  be  Granted  Shall  be  &  is  Enjoyned  Effectually 
to  Settle  &  Inhabit  the  Same  in  his  Own  prop^'  p  e  fon  and 
Not  have  Liberty  In  Any  Way  whatsoever  to  Sell  or 
Alienate  or  any  Ways  Dispose  of  his  Interest  or  Allottm* 
in  Either  of  y^  s''  Towns  to  any  p  e  fon  What  So  Ever 
Until  y®  Whole  conditions  Enjoyned  by  y*"  General  Court 
be  Fully  complied  with  &  Pe  formed  Without  the  Leave 
and  Approbation  of  y^  Com^*'^  or  the  Majer  part  of  Them, 
Nor  to  any  p  e  fon  or  p  e  fons  but  Such  as  they  Shall  ap- 
pro\'e  &  to  be  Accepted  by  v*'  Com^^'*^." 


North 

Town. 

£  s.    d. 

I  John   Holden 

of  Concord 

2.10.00 

2   Henry  Jones 

''   Concord 

5.00.00 

3  Sam^  Biglo 

"   Marlborough 

3.00.00 

4  Thom«  Ball 

"   Concord 

2.10.00 

5   Sam*"'  Blond  for  his  s 

on 

"   Concord 

3.00.00 

6  John  Jefts 

"   Bilrica 

2.09.06 

7  Jon"i  Forbush 

•'   Sutton 

2.10.00 

8  Sam^i  Grove 

"   Westford 

2.10.00 

9  Jam'*  Farly 

-   Bilrica 

2.10.00 

10  John   Holden  for  1 

lis  ; 

son 

''   Concord 

2.10.00 

II  Jon^''  Whitney  for 

his 

Son 

'•   Sudbury 

2.10.00 

12  Bartholomew 

••   Worcester 

2.10.00 

13  Thomas  Baldwin 

'•   Bilrica 

2.10.00 

14  Joseph  Stevens 

"  Bilrica 

2.10.00 

15   Samuel   Sheldon 

'-   Bilrica 

2.10.00 

16  John  Hay  ward 

''   Concord 

2.16.00 

LAND    GRANTS    AND    PROPRIETORS. 


43 


17  Solomon  Wvman 

18  Thomas  Wvman 

19  Edw"^'  Wyman 

20  Edward  White 

21  Sam^  Jones  for  his  son 

22  Jam*^  Bubbeen 

23  Benj  Wyman 

24  John   Simonds 

25  Jasher  Wyman 

26  John  Wyman 

27  John    Lawrence 

28  Sam^  Proctor 

29  Timothy  Adams 


30  J( 


Adams 


31  Sam^  Davis 

32  Eben^^"  Tailer 

33  John  Fisk 

34  Thom^ Woods  for  his  sonjosi; 

35  Jon"i  Shed 
^6  Sam^  BilHngs 

37  Jacob  Farrar 

38  W"  Wheeler 

39  Solomon  Woods 

40  John  Colbith 

41  Nathl  Smith 

42  W™  Laking 

43  John   Holding 

44  Joseph  Wright 

45  John   Hunt  for  his  servt. 

Nath^  Colburn 

46  Josiah  Hale  tor  his  son 

Josiah   Hale 

47  Abra'"  Wood 

48  James  Minot  Jiin. 

49  Edward  Flint 

50  John  Fox 


of  Wooburn 

"  Wooburn 

"■  Wooburn 

'•'■  Woburn 

"  Concord 

"  Woburn 

"  Woburn 

'  •  Woburn 

"•  Woburn 

"  Woburn 

'*  Lexington 

"  Chelmsford 

"  Chelmsford 

"  Chelmsford 

"  Chelmsford 

''  Dunstable 

' '  Groton 

!"•  Groton 

"  Groton 

"  Concord 

"  Concord 

''  Concord 

"  Mendon 

"'  Stow 

-  Hadley 

"  Groton 

"  Groton 

"  Concord 

"  Concord 

'"  Concord 

''  Concord 

"  Concord 

"  Concord 

"  Concord 


£  s.  d. 
2.10.00 
2.10.00 
2.10.00 
2.08.00 
2.10.00 
2.10.00 
2.10.00 
2.10.00 
2.10.00 
2.10.00 
2.10.00 
2.10.00 
2.10.00 
2.09.06 
2.10.00 
2.10.00 
2.10.00 
2.10.00 
2.10.00 
2.10.00 
2.10.00 
2.10.00 
2.10.00 
2.10.00 
2.10.00 
2.10.00 
2.10.00 
2.10.00 

2.10.00 

2.10.00 
2.10.00 
2.10.00 
2.10.00 
2.10.00 


44 


HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 


51  John  Perlin  for  his  son 

£  s.  d. 

Joseph   Perlin 

of  Concord 

2.10.00 

52   Nath*  Jones  tor  his  son 

Ehiathan 

"   Concord 

2.10.00 

53  Joseph  Fletcher 

''   Concord 

2.10.00 

54  Sam'  Fletcher 

"   Concord 

2.10.00 

55   Sam'  Wright 

"   Concord 

2.10.00 

56  Joshua   Hutchins 

''   Concord 

2.10.00 

57   Benj='  Barron 

"   Concord 

2.10.00 

58  Edward  Park 

"   Newtown 

0.00.00 

59  Sam'  Randal  Ju^ 

"  Woburn 

2.10.00 

60  Sam*^i  Tenney 

-   Bradford 

2.10.00 

61   Timothy   Harris 

•'   Rowley 

0.00.00 

62  Sam'  Hale 

"   Bradford 

0.00.00 

6^  Joseph  Plympton 

2.10.00 

64  Mr.  William  Clark 

0.00.00 

65   Francis  Worsster  Pd.  to 

Capt  Shipley 

2.10.00 

66  Finehas  Rice 

''   Sudburx' 

0.00.00 

67   Sam'  Gory 

0.00.00 

68  Stephen  Richard  lor  his  son 

Joseph 

0.00.00 

69  Jacob  French  for  W'"  Frencl 

1 

0.00.00 

70  Sam'  Merriam  for 

John  Farrar 

0.00.00 

71   Sam'  Frail 

"   Salem 

0.00.00 

72  Caleb  Blood 

0.00.00 

158.07.00 
£    s.    d. 

The  account  of  the  meetings  of  these  proprietors  lully 
set  forth  their  acts  for  the  \ears  1720-22  up  to  June  1723. 
In  May,  1723,  the  record  shows  a  meeting  ot'  these  men 
and  that  the  balance  of  the  live  pounds  was  paid  and 
receipted  tor.  Sanniel  Jones,  of  Concord,  w  as  the  principal 
surveyor  in  establishina"  the  line  between  Groton  and  North 


LAND    GRANTS    AND    PROPRIETORS.  45 

Town.  The  cost  of  surveying  this  line  "including  ex- 
pense of  the  two  committees,  surveyor,  chainmen  and 
proper  assistance,"  was  £22  los.  lod.,  or  £11  5s.  5d.  lor 
each  of  the  new  towns  which  now  constitute  the  towns  of 
Townsend  and  Lunenburg.  The  committee  in  describing 
their  labors,  in  part  say,  '^We  proceeded  to  the  heap  of 
stones  on  the  easterly  side  of  Nissequassick  Hill,  etc.,*' 
which  clearly  indicates  that  that  corner  had  been  previously 
considered  and  was  fully  established. 

Among  the  names  in  this  proprietary  list  mav  be  found 
quite  a  number  of  men  of  considerable  importance. 
Business  men,  those  who  were  and  those  who  had  been 
members  of  the  General  Court,  two  or  three  members  of 
the  legal  profession,  three  or  four  land  surveyors,  and 
others,  of  more  than  ordinary  pecuniary  means,  constituted 
the  first  owners  of  Townsend  and  its  appurtenances. 
Jacob  Farrar  and  David  Melvin  were  both  with  Captain 
Lovewell  when  he  fell  in  the  battle  at  Pequawkett,  about 
the  same  time  that  Chamberlain  of  the  same  company, 
killed  the  stalwart  chief  Paugus.  Melvin  is  known  in  our 
records  as  "Lieut.  David  Melvin,"  his  lands  being  located 
in  what  is  now  the  southerly  part  of  x\shby.  He  must 
have  been  a  brave  man,  coming  from  the  Indian  wars,  as 
he  did,  with  a  commission.  Jacob  Farrar's  land  was  on 
the  extreme  north  end  of  Nissequassick  Hill,  near  the  state 
line,  where  his  descendants  settled ;  and  his  posterity, 
although  not  numerous,  are  still  among  the  inhabitants  of 
this  and  the  neighboring  towns. 

A  remarkable  degree  of  shrewdness  was  exhibited  by 
the  committee  appointed  "to  grant  out  and  allot"  these  two 
towns.  Every  grantee  was  obliged  "to  settle  and  inhabit 
his  lot,"  and  did  not   have   liberty  "to   sell   or   alienate    his 


4()  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

interest  therein''  until  ever}'  condition  was  complied  with, 
without  leave  of  the  committee  "(M-  the  majer  part  of  them." 
So  far  as  conforming-  to  these  restrictions,  there  is  nothing 
to  be  found  showing  that  the}'  were  carried  out  either 
in  letter  or  in  spirit,  for  only  about  one-ninth  of  the  original 
grantees  were  ever  botic  Jidc  settlers.  The  members  of  this 
committee  and  many  grantees  undoubtedly  found  it  for 
their  interest  to  abrogate  part  of  these  conditions,  and  made 
an  advance  on  their  five  pounds  b}'  "putting  in  substitutes'" 
or  selling  out.  There  is  not  much  recorded  in  regard  to 
what  transpired  concerning  this  town  between  1723  and 
1732.  It  appears,  however,  that  there  was  a  controversy, 
between  the  owners  of  Dunstable  and  the  proprietors  of 
Townsend,  about  the  line  between  these  towns,  which  con- 
tinued a  long  time.  This  was  the  reason  that  the  town  of 
Townsend  did  not  obtain  its  full  charter  in  1728,  at  the 
same  time  that  the  boundaries  of  Lunenburg  were  made. 

It  has  a  peculiar  aspect  when  two  frontier  towns,  the 
larger  having  "fifty  householders''*  or  about  two  hundred 
and  fiftv  people,  and  the  smaller,  perhaps  fifteen  house- 
holders or  about  seventy-five  people,  the  Ibrmer  town 
containing  more  than  two  hundred  square  miles  and  the 
latter  working  on  the  promise  of  having  thirty-six  square 
miles,  should  "indulge"  in  a  wrangle  about  eighty  acres 
of  land.  Dunstable  at  that  time  extended  from  its  north- 
east corner,  "a  great  rock,"  in  Londonderry,  New  Hamp- 
shire, southwesterly,  diagonally  across  the  town,  to  the 
northwest  corner  of  Groton,  which  is  a  point  in  the  line 
between  Townsend  and  Pepperell  about  a  mile  (300  rods) 
south  of  the  northwest  corner  of  Pepperell.  Thirteen 
ditferent  towns,  joining  to  and  surrounding  Nashua,   New 


Fox's  History  of  Dunstable,  page  U\. 


LAND    GRANTS    AND    PROPRIETORS.  47 

Hampshire,  which  is  about  the  centre  of  the  original 
"plantation"  were  either  taken  wholly  or  partly  from  the 
old  township  of  Dunstable,  now  extinct,  of  which  Town- 
send  is  one. 

In  order  that  the  reader  may  form  a  correct  idea  of 
the  extent  of  the  town  of  Townsend,  when  it  was  chartered 
in  1732,  the  following  copy  of  a  conveyance,  taken  from  the 
proprietors'  records,  page  134,  is  here  inserted.  This  hill, 
now  called  "Tanapas  Hill,"  is  situated  just  at  the  west 
of  the  village  of  Brookline,  New  Hampshire,  and  in  that 
town.  A  line  drawn  west  32^°  north  from  that  hill, 
would  not  fall  at  a  great  distance  south  of  the  cemetery  at 
Mason  Centre.  It  will  be  noticed  that  the  province  line 
cut  off  a  large  portion  of  Townsend.  which  fell  into  the 
province  of  New  Hampshire  : — 

"Laid  out  by  the  subscribers  to  Capt.  William  Law- 
rence for  part  of  his  fourth  division  lot  arising  upon  that 
grant  in  Townshend  whereof  the  House  Lot  bares  Number 
thirty-live,  one  hundred  and  titty  acres  of  land  lying  on 
the  easterly  part  of  Massaquatanapass  Great  Hill,  Begin- 
ing,  at  a  white  oak  marked  and  running  north  thirtv-two 
degrees  East  to  a  stake  and  stones  in  the  town  line,  thence 
turn  a  square  angle  and  run  on  the  town  line  East  thirtv- 
two  south  Two  Hundred  and  forty  poles  to  a  chestnut  tree 
marked,  then  turn  and  run  South  thirty-two  degrees  west 
One  hundred  and  twenty  eight  poles  to  a  maple  in  a  swamp 
marked  for  a  corner.  Thence  turning  and  run  West  forty- 
five  north  two  hundred  and  forty-eight  poles  to  the  white 
oak  where  we  first  begun  as  described  in  the  plan — 
Bounded  on  the  north  side  by  the  Town  line  and  on  all 
other  parts  on  common  Land. 


Amos  Whitney  ^ 

pr  John  Stevens        Daniel  Taylor         >Cc 
Surveyor  Nath'  Richardson    ) 


Surveyed  March  8  1735." 


48  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

The  extreme  southwest  angle  of  old  Dunstable  termi- 
nated in  what  is  now  Brookline,  New  Hampshire,  at  or 
near  the  east  base  of  what  is  known  in  our  records  as 
"Great  Massapetanapass  Hill."'  A  direct  line  from  this 
point  to  the  northwest  corner  of  Groton,  before  described 
(which  was  also  a  southwest  corner  of  Dunstable),  was, 
without  doubt,  the  line  between  Townsend  and  Dunstable, 
so  that  considerable  land  now  in  the  northeast  corner  of 
Townsend  was  within  the  limits  of  Dunstable. 

So  exciting  was  this  disagreement  that  it  engaged  the 
attention  of  the  General  Court,  which  appointed  a  com- 
mittee to  survey  the  line  between  the  two  towns  and  report. 
The  following  is  from  the  manuscript  records  of  the  Gen- 
eral Court  for  1730  : — 

"Samuel  Danforth,  Esq.,  from  the  committee  appointed 
bv  the  General  Court  to  survey  the  North  Town,  etc., 
gave  in  the  following  report,  viz  : 

"The  committee  appointed  bv  the  Great  and  general 
court  on  the  26th  of  Feb.  1730  to  take  a  survey  of  a  line 
between  the  North  Town  in  Turkey  Hills  and  Dunstable 
and  to  make  a  report  whether  the  plan  of  the  said  North 
Town  encroaches  upon  the  town  of  Dunstable  according 
to  its  true  and  allowed  bounds,  and  what  quantity  of  land 
it  takes  off  from  it,  and  also  to  make  enquiry  how  tar  the 
grantees  of  the  said  North  Town  have  fultilled  the  condi- 
tions of  their  grant,  and  what  settlements  are  there  made, 
Report  having  (and  pursuant  to  said  order)  repaired  to 
said  North  Town  (after  due  notice  given  to  all  concerned 
of  the  time  of  our  coming)  and  having  carefully  surveyed 
tiie  line  aforesaid  and  full}'  heard  the  parties  therein,  are 
humbh'  of  the  opinion  that  the  before  mentioned  plan  of 
North  Town  encroaches  upon  the  town  of  Dunstable,  so 
as   to  take  off  tVom  it  four  score  acres  of  land,   according  . 


LAND  GRANTS  AND  PROPRIETORS.  49 

to  what  we  apprehend  to  be  the  true  and  allowed  bounds 
to  said  town.  Having  also  carefully  viewed  the  settle- 
ments in  said  North  Town  and  made  inquiries  how  far  the 
grantees  have  fulfilled  the  conditions  of  their  grant,  we  find 
that  considerable  improvements  have  been  made  on  the 
lands  there,  and  the  greater  number  of  the  grantees  (be- 
sides a  convenient  house  which  they  have  lately  erected 
lor  the  public  worship  of  God)  have  fulfilled  the  conditions 
of  their  grant  by  breaking  up  and  fencing  their  lands,  by 
building  convenient  dwelling  houses  on  their  lotts  and  by 
residing  there. 

Samuel  Danforth* 
in  the  name  and  b}'  the  order  of  the  committee.'' 

This  report  is  important  not  only  in  showing  which 
party  was  wrong,  but  this  is  the  only  record  which  repre- 
sents the  condition  and  progress  of  North  Town  at  that 
date.  Dantbrth's  statement  concerning  the  residence  of 
the  proprietors  here  must  be  received  with  some  caution 
and  allowance.  Similar  statements  were  frequent  in  those 
times.  The  petitioners  of  the  North  Town  for  a  charter, 
in  1732,  represented  "that  the  town  was  completel}'  filled 
w^ith  inhabitants,"'  when  probably  there  were  less  than  two 
hundred  people  in  town.  One  of  the  conditions  in  land 
grants  was,  "Provided  it  doth  not  interfere  w^ith  any  former 
grant."  Dunstable  received  its  charter  in  1673.  or  about 
fifty  years  before  anv  man  except  Major  Hathorn  ou  ned 
any  Townsend  soil.  The  North  Town  men  found  their 
east  line  bounded  on  Groton,  running  north  17^°  east 
from  Lunenburg  corner,  less  than  six  miles  long,  so  thev 
"interfered  with  a  former  grant"  by  pushing  their  north- 
east corner  up  into  Dunstable,  fearing  that  they  would  not 

*Soii  of  Jonathan  Dantbrtli,  survevor  of  Hathorn's  Farm. 


50  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

get  their  six  miles  square  as  promised  bv  the  act  of  17 19. 
They  desired  and  expected  their  east  line  running  northerly 
from  Lunenburg  northeast  corner,  to  continue  "north 
seventeen  and  one-half  degrees  east,"  after  reaching 
Groton  northwest  corner,  and  penetrate  the  town  of  Duns- 
table in  that  direction.  In  1732,  the  General  Court  settled 
the  matter  fartly  in  the  charter  for  Townsend  by  dividing 
the  territory  claimed  by  Townsend.  between  the  two 
towns;  but  until  1741.  when  the  province  line  was  run,  as 
will  be  seen  by  the  charter,  Townsend  had  no  northeast 
corner. 

"  Charter   of  the  Town  of  Townshend. 
Passed  June  29th  1732. 

"Whereas  the  northerly  part  of  Turkey  Hills,  so  called, 
is  completely  filled  with  inhabitants,  and  who  are  now 
about  settling  a  learned  and  orthodox  minister  among  them, 
and  have  addressed  this  court  that  they  may  be  set  off  a 
distinct  and  sep(a)rate  town  and  be  vested  with  all  the 
powers  and  privileges  of  a  town  : 

"Be  it  therefore  enacted  by 
his  excellency  the  governor,  council  and  representatives  in 
General  Court  assembled,  and  by  the  authority  of  the 
same, — 

"That  the  northerly  part  of  Turkey  Hills,  as  hereafter 
bounded  and  described,  be  and  hereby  is  set  otf  and  con- 
stituted a  sep(a)rate  township  by  the  name  of  Townshend  : 
the  bounds  of  said  township  to  be  as  followeth,  \ict  : 
beginning  at  a  heap  of  stones  at  the  north\^'est  corner  of 
Lunenburg  :  so  running  east  thirty-one  degrees  and  an  half 
south,  three  thousand  and  fifty  rods  to  a  heap  of  stones  in 
Groton  line  ;  then  bounded  on  Groton  line,  north  seventeen 
decrees  and  an  lialf  east,  one  thousand    four   hundred  and 


LAND    GRANTS    AND    PROPRIETORS.  51 

forty  rods  to  a  heap  of  stones  at  Groton  north  west  corner ; 
iVom  thence  running  due  north,  leaving  eighty  acres  out 
of  the  plan,  to  the  town  of  Dunstable  :  then  running  from 
Dunstable  west  line  on  province  land,  west  thirty-one 
degrees  and  an  half  north,  two  thousand  two  hundred  and 
forty  rods,  to  a  tree  marked  ;  then  running  south,  thirty- 
six  degrees  west,  to  the  northwest  corner  of  Lunenburg, 
where  the  bounds  first  began,  one  thousand  nine  hundred 
and  twenty  rods. 

"Provided,  That  nothing  herein  contained  be  construed 
to  affect  the  rights  of  the  proprietors  of  the  land  called 
Hathorn's  farm  ;  and  the  inhabitants  of  the  said  lands  as 
before  described  and  bounded,  be  and  hereby  are  vested 
with  the  powers,  privileges  and  immunities  that  the  inhab- 
itants of  any  of  the  towns  of  this  province  are  or  ought 
to  be  vested  with. 

"Provided,  That  the  said  town  of  Townshend  do 
within  the  space  of  two  years  from  the  publication  of 
this  act,  procure  and  settle  a  learned  orthodox  minister  of 
good  conversation  in  said  town,  and  make  pro\'ision  for 
his  comfortable  and  honorable  support. 

"In  the  House  of  Representatives  June  29  1732  ordered 
that  Mr.  Joseph  Stevens  one  of  the  principal  inhabitants  of 
the  town  of  Townshend  be  and  hereby  is  fully  impowered 
to  assemble  and  convene  the  inhabitants  of  said  town  to 
chose  town  officers  to  stand  until  the  anniversary  meeting 
in  March  next  anv  law,  usage  or  custom  to  the  contrary 
notwithstanding. 

Sent  up  for  concurence 

J.   Qliincy,  Speaker. 
In  council  June  30,  1732  Received  and  concured. 

J.    WiLLARD, 

Secretary. 
June  30th,  1732,  consented  to,  J.  Belcher." 


a 2  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

From  this  grant  it  appears  that  Townsend  acquired, 
in  1732,  about  tifty-two  square  miles  of  land  instead  of 
thirty-six  miles  as  contemplated  by  the  act  of  17 19.  Per- 
haps this  liberality  is  traceable  to  the  fact  that  some  of  the 
members  of  the  General  Court  were  part  owners  of  "the 
North  Town."  Its  north  and  south  lines  were  parallel, 
the  north  line  being  some  shorter  than  the  south  line. 
"Dunstable  west  line  on  the  province  line"  (the  southwest 
corner  of  that  town)  was  about  two  and  one-half  miles 
further  west  than  a  line  drawn  north  from  Groton  north- 
west corner,  so  that  the  north  line  of  Townsend  must  have 
been  more  than  nine  miles  long,  and  the  south  line  more 
than  nine  miles  and  one-half.  Probably  it  was  the  inten- 
tion of  the  Assembly  that  the  proprietors  of  Townsend 
and  Dunstable  should  agree  upon  a  point  for  a  northeast 
corner  of  Townsend,  which  was  to  be  legalized  at  a  future 
period.  Here  is  an  agreement  or  obligation  of  a  com- 
mittee of  the  Dunstable  proprietors  in  regard  to  the  line 
between  the  two  towns,  copied  from  the  Townsend  pro- 
prietors' book  : — 

"We  the  subscribers  a  committee  for  the  proprietors 
of  the  town  of  Dunstable  do  promise  and  oblige  ourselves 
in  the  name  and  behalf  of  the  Town  and  proprietors  afore- 
said unto  the  committee  for  the  North  Town,  viz  :  Joseph 
Stevens,  Joshua  Fletcher,  Andrew  Spaulding,  Jonathan 
Melvin,  Timothy  Heald,  Joseph  Willard  Esq.,  and  William 
Law^-ence,  that  if  it  so  happens  that  the  line  dividing 
between  North  Town  and  Dunstable,  be  established  by  the 
general  court  further  west  than  the  line  already  run  by 
North  Town,  the  Town  and  proprietors  shall  contirm  all 
such   the    land   bv    sucli    line    to   the   North    Town    as    an 


LAND    GRANTS    AND    PROPRIETORS.  Od 

equivalent  for   such  land  or  equal  quantity  into  the  town- 
ship of  North  Town  in  one  mile. 

"Witness  our  hands  this  twelfth  day  of  Oct.  1731. 

Attest 
JoN^  Hubbard  Henry  Farwell 

Ruth  Hubbard  Joseph  Blanchard"* 

The  men  constituting  both  of  these  committees  were 
the  most  prominent  proprietors  of  these  old  townships. 
Three  of  the  North  Town  committee  were  actual  settlers 
here.  Joseph  Blanchard  was  a  man  of  wealth,  and  exten- 
sively interested  in  land. 

Without  knowing  more  about  this  controversy  than 
can  be  learned  from  the  Townsend  proprietors'  records,  it 
is  difficult  to  explain  the  meaning  of  the  obligation  above 
quoted.  The  records  of  the  proprietors  of  old  Dunstable 
during  the  year  1731  are  lost,  so  that  nothing  further  of 
interest  concerning  this  matter  can  be  found.  Probablv 
this  is    the  interpretation  of  the  document : — 

North  Town  insisted  on  a  boundary  line  running  in 
the  same  direction  of  the  Groton  west  line,  north  175^° 
east.  Dunstable  objected  to  this  infringement  on  her 
chartered  rights,  but  for  the  sake  of  harmony,  agreed  that 
if  the  dividing  line  should  be  drawn  by  the  Assemblv 
"further  west"  than  the  line  which  Townsend  persistentlv 
asked  for,  then  all  the  land  at  the  west  of  the  line  established 


*  "Joseph  Blanchartl  (born  iu  Dunstable  1705,  died  1758)  was  appointed  by  manda- 
mus, one  of  tlie  counselloi-s  of  New  Hampshire  in  1740,  and  sustained  that  office  till 
his  death.  He  was  (li.-tinsui-hcil  ;is  a  kind  surveyor,  and  in  conjunction  with  Rev. 
.Samuel  Lanari  1(111.  ini'iiared  ,i  inap  of  New  llainiiMiire.  which  Was  published  in  17G1, 
being  inscribed  to  llcm.  Charles  'I'ciw  n-lieiid.  his  >[aiestv's  secretarv  at  war.  and  one 
of  his  privy  <:omicn:'— J StlJ: nap'. <  llUt.  X.  11. .  p.  :',i.). 


54  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

by  the  General  Court,  for  the  distance  of  a  mile,  north  of 
Groton  northwest  corner^  should  be  given  up  to  the  North 
Town  proprietors.  In  1748,  writs  of  ejectment  were  served 
on  Isaac  Farrar  and  Jasher  Wyman  by  which  they  were 
dispossessed  of  lands  situated  in  Brookline,  New  Hamp- 
shire, at  the  northwest  of  Groton  northwest  corner.  These 
two  Townsend  proprietors  were  obliged  to  give  up  their 
lands  which  rightfully  belonged  to  the  township  of 
Dunstable. 

Among  the  ancient  plans  and  maps  in  the  office 
of  the  Secretary  of  State,  at  Boston,  is  a  plan  of  a 
tract  of  land  containing  one  thousand  acres,  lying  for 
the  most  part  in  old  Dunstable,  in  what  is  now^  the  south 
part  of  Brookline  and  the  northwest  part  of  Pepperell,  a 
small  angle  of  which  pierced  Townsend,  granted  as 
"Cambridge  grammar  school  farm."  This  was  in  i734- 
The  plan  shows  "Massapetanapus  Lower  stream"  and  one 
or  two  of  its  tributaries,  one  from  Towmsend,  its  westerly 
line  running  five  hundred  and  seventy-five  poles  on 
Townsend  line.  The  Dunstable  people  soon  notified  the 
Assembly  of  this  interference  with  their  grant,  and  the 
next  year  the  Cambridge  school  farm,  was  relocated  "on 
the  northerly  side  of  Massapetanapass  Great  hill,"  partly 
in  Mason  and  partly  in  Brookline.  A  map  of  this  tract  of 
one  thousand  acres  may  be  seen  in  the  Secretary's  office, 
at  Boston.  In  1736,  the  Assembly  ""granted  to  Benjamin 
Prescott,*  in  behalf  of  the  proprietors  of  Groton  for  losses 
of  land  taken  to  make  adjoining  new  towns,  ten  thousand 
eight    hundred    acres  of  land  lying   on    the    west  side   of 


'Assembly  l•ec•ol•dt^,  vol.  Hi,  iiagc  :5;W. 


LAND    GRANTS    AND    PROPRIETORS.  i)D 

Dunstable,  beginning  at  Dram  Cup  Hill,  by  the  Souhegan 
river,  which  was  the  northwest  corner  of  Dunstable,  and 
running  south  on  Dunstable  line  two  thousand  one  hundred 
and  fifty-two  poles  to  Townsend  line,  then  making  an 
angle  and  running  west  31}^°  north  on  Townsend  line 
and  province  land,  two  thousand  and  fifty-six  poles  to  a 
pillar  of  stones,  then  turning  and  running  bv  province 
land  north,  31 1/^°  east,  two  thousand  and  fort}'  poles  to 
Dunstable  corner  first  mentioned."  This  was  surveyed 
and  plan  rendered  by  Jonas  Houghton,  and  is  known 
as  "the  gore  between  Townsend  and  Dunstable."  This 
gore  is  now  the  easterly  parts  of  the  towns  of  Mason  and 
Wilton,  New  Hampshire.  Special  reservations  are  in  this 
grant  of  which  the  following  is  parenthetically  inserted. 
"(Excepting  the  one  thousand  acres  belonging  to  the 
Cambridge  School  Farm  and  therein  included.)*" 

The  running  of  the  province  line  in  1741  settled  man\- 
disputes  about  land  titles  and  certainly  "was  a  great  public 
benefit."  New  Hampshire  received  a  fresh  impetus  in 
civilization  by  acquiring  from  Massachusetts  twenty-eight 
new  townships  besides  large  tracts  of  vacant  lands  inter- 
mixed. When  this  line  was  determined  the  politicians  of 
Massachusetts  were  exceedingly  angr}'  and  dissatisfied. 
Dunstable  by  this  new  line  was  severed  in  two  parts  about 
equal,  suffering  much  by  having  its  little  village  sundered 
and  left  in  two  provinces. 

Townsend  lost  nearly  one-third  of  its  territory  by  this 
line,  but  found  a  northeast  corner  of  the  town  located  con- 
siderably south  of  the  point  for  which  it  contended.  Parts 
of .  Brookline,  Mason  and  New  Ipswich,  in  New  Hamp- 
shire, were  then  taken  from  Townsend. 

The  proprietors  of  Townsend  felt  much  uneasiness,  on 


')()  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

account  of  the  loss  of  their  lands  caused  by  the  running 
of  the  province  line  in  1741,  which  left  more  than  one- 
fourth  of  their  township  in  New  Hampshire.  At  two  or 
three  different  times  they  petitioned  the  Assembly  ibr 
redress  on  account  of  their  loss.  From  the  proprietors' 
records  is  extracted  the   following  : — 

"  At  a  meeting  of  the  proprietors  of  the  common  and 
undivided  lands  in  the  township  of  Townshend,  legally 
assembled  at  the  house  of  Mrs.  Sarah  Conant,  Inn-holder 
[the  house  is  still  standing  at  the  southerly  end  of  the  dam 
at  the  Harbor]  in  said  Townshend,  upon  Tuesday  the 
twenty-sixth  day  of  February  1765  at  twelve  o'clock  on 
said  day. 

"Colonel  James  Prescott  being  chosen  Moderator  for 
s'^  meeting. 

"  i^y.  Voted  to  choose  a  committee  of  three  men  to  peti- 
tion the  Great  and  General  Court  of  this  province  for  a 
recompense  for  lands  taken  away  from  the  proprietors  of 
Townshend  by  the  late  running  of  the  Line  of  the  province 
of  New  Hampshire ;  and  that  Colonel  James  Prescott, 
Capt.  Jonas  Prescott  and  Lieut.  Josiah  Sartell  be  a  com- 
mittee fully  impowered  for  that  purpose." 

Soon  after,  when  the  General  Court  assembled,  these 
three  men  appeared  before  a  committee  which  reported 
favorably  to  their  wishes,  and  at  that  session  of  the 
Assembly  it  "Granted  a  township,  somewhere  at  the  east- 
ward of  the  Saco  River,  six  miles  square  to  the  Town- 
shend proprietors  and  others,  tor  military  services  and 
other  losses  and  services."* 

A   clause   in    the    grant  specitied  that  one  sixty-fourth 


'Mass.  Archives,  vol.  118,  page  147 


LAND    GRANTS    AND    PROPRIETORS.  0/ 

part  of  this  township  was  to  be  appropriated  to  settle  a 
minister — one  sixty-fourth  part  for  the  ministry — one  sixt}- 
fourth  part  for  the  benefit  of  Harvard  College — was  to  be 
settled  within  six  years  from  the  date  of  the  grant,  and  a 
plan  of  the  town  to  be  returned  to  the  General  Court 
within  one  year. 

"Granted  to  the  town  of  Townshend         102 12  acres 
T3-ngs-town  380     •' 

"•  "  Nathaniel  Parker  260     •• 

John  Sheple  286  acres," 

and  to  others  whose  names  are  not  here  quoted. 

There  is  nothing  on  record  to  be  found  showing  that 
either  the  Townsend  proprietors  or  any  of  these  grantees 
ever  received  a  dollar  from  this  grant,  or  that  it  was  ever 
plotted  and  a  plan  returned  agreeably  to  the  terms  of  the 
charter.  The  difficulties  attending  the  settlement  of  a  new 
town — its  great  distance  from  the  grantees — the  revolution- 
ary struggle,  all  combined,  probablv  were  in  the  wav  to 
prevent  the  proprietors  from  making  this  grant  available. 
In  May,  1786,  the  following  article  was  in  the  town 
warrant:  "To  see  if  the  town  will  choose  a  committee  to 
take  care  of  the  land  that  is  granted  them  by  the  General 
Court  in  compensation  lor  land  cut  off  by  New  Hampshire 
line,  or  sell  the  same."  A  committee  was  chosen  at  that 
town  meeting  to  sell  the  same,  but  nothing  is  turther 
recorded  concerning  the  matter. 

The  town  of  Ashbv  was  chartered  in  1767.  It  was 
taken  from  the  towns  of  Fitchburg,  Ashburnham,  and 
Townsend.  About  two-thirds  of  its  territory  was  taken 
from  Townsend.      The   onlv    alterations  in  the    lines    of 


58  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

Townsend,  since  it  was  chartered,  were  caused  by  the 
establishing  of  the  province  line,  in  1741,  and  the  making 
of  the  town  of  Ashby,  in  1767. 

The  east  end  of  Townsend  was  surveyed  and  laid  out 
into  two  divisions,  sometime  in  1723  or  1724.  For  the  next 
three  3'ears,  four  or  five  of  the  proprietors  from  Concord 
and  Woburn  were  busily  engaged  in  felling  the  trees  and 
making  helds  during  most  of  the  time,  exxept  the  winter 
seasons,  which  they  passed  with  their  Iriends  in  these 
towns.  This  temporary  residence  broke  the  wilderness 
and  prepared  the  way  for  a  few  families. 

It  is  said  that  the  wife  of  John  Pat*  was  the  tirst 
person,  of  her  sex,  who  settled  in  the  North  Town.  The 
town  records  confirm  this  tradition,  from  the  fact  that  the 
first  birth  found  on  record  reads  as  follows  :  "Jonathan 
Pat,  son  of  John  and  Mary  Pat  born  Jan  5  1728."  With- 
out much  doubt,  this  son  of  John  and  Mary  was  the  first 
child  born  in  this  town.  John  Pat's  log-house  was  about 
half  a  mile  easterly  from  the  parsonage  house  on  a  road 
leading  to  the  south  end  of  Nissequassick  Hill. 

The  descendants  of  this  family  are,  at  present,  to  be 
found  in  Framingham,  and  some  of  the  towns  of  Worces- 
ter County.  The  wife  of  Henry  Sceva,  formerly  a  citizen 
of  Townsend,  was  one  of  this  family. 

The  records  of  the  town  of  Groton  contain  the  follow- 
ing :  "Ebenezer  Ball,  son  of  Jeremiah  Ball,  born  in  North 
Town,  June  22,  1729."  Mr.  Ball  li\'ed  about  one-third  of 
a  mile  northeasterh'  from   the   Harbor,  at  the  corner  made 


*This  name  in  the  town  records  is  spelled  Pat,  Patt,  Patts.  Pett  and  Petts;  the  last 
method  is  the  one  now  in  nsc.  The  town  clerks  in  this  and  the  neighboring  towns 
were  cxticniily  careless  in  rc^'.inl  to  proiicr  iiaincs:  Anstin  was  "Astin."  Hildreth  was 
"lIiMnck,"  S;i\\t,.||  \v,-i- '-Sartcl."  :M-c(inlini;- t'l  till' (ircilon  town  clerk;  in  the  Mason. 
N.  II.,  ncnnis  we  (iml  "Alcf  lor  Kllicitl.  •iinl  BciiJ:iinin  Dix,  a  brother  of  onr  Rev. 
Sanmt'l  l)i\,  i<  iliil)licil  witli  tlic  luniit'  <ir  "Bcnianiii'i  Decks." 


LAND    GRANTS    AND    PROPRIETORS.  59 

by  the  crossing  of  the  two  roads  leading  over  the  hill,  at  the 
left  hand  side  going  towards  Pepperell  from  the  Harbor. 

There  were  at  first  two  divisions  of  land  laid  out, 
running  northerly  from  the  river,  by  the  line  of  Groton, 
across  the  east  end  of  the  town.  In  1733,  a  third  division 
was  made  which  extended  nearlv  two  miles  west  from 
Groton  line.  The  east  end  of  the  house  lots  abutted  on  "a 
six  rod  way  running  nearly  north  and  south,"  or  the  road 
now  leading  over  the  hill.  The  west  end  of  the  lots  of 
the  second  division  also  abutted  on  this  road,  which  was 
the  longest  highway  laid  out  by  the  proprietors,  now  in 
use.  Soon  after,  lands  south  of  the  Squanicook,  to 
about  the  same  distance  westerly  from  Groton  line,  were 
surveyed  and  lotted.  The  proprietors  made  ample  reserva- 
tions for  roads.  Almost  every  deed  closed  with  this 
sentence  :  "There  is  also  an  allowance  for  a  way  whenever 
the  town  shall  think  it  necessary."  No  matter  how 
rugged  and  precipitous,  marshy  or  ledgv,  whether  the  land 
included  Rattlesnake  Hill  or  the  rough  peaks  in  northern 
Ashby.  that  ubiquitous  "allowance  for  a  way"  was  sure  to 
be  present.  The  road  entering  the  northeast  corner  of  the 
town,  running  nearly  south  for  a  short  distance,  tiien  turn- 
ing easterly,  and  running  about  halt-wa}'  from  the  state  line 
to  the  Harbor,  to  the  point  where  one  road  turns  towards 
Pepperell  and  another  westerlv,  was  the  road  between  the 
first  and  second  divisions,  then  laid  out.  Ver}'  few  of  these 
roads  contemplated  were  ever  made.  K.  road,  to  these 
settlers,  was  a  path  between  two  rows  of  marked  trees, 
generally-  "two  poles"  wide  but  often  "four  poles"  wide. 

No  original  proprietor,  according  to  the  terms  of  the 
court's  committee,  could  hold  more  than  two  hundred  acres 
in  one  body,  although  he  had  a  right  to  one-eightieth  of  all 


fiO  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

the  land  in  North  Town.  A  lot  in  these  divisions  contained 
about  tiftv  acres.  These  were  called  ''original  house  lots." 
There  were  more  than  one  hundred  lots  in  these  three 
divisions,  and  it  was  determined  by  lot  or  chance  where 
each  man's  lot  should  be  located.  Nothing  could  be  more 
fair  than  this  method.  After  this  drawing,  when  the  fourth 
and  fifth  divisions  were  laid  out,  the  second  tiftv  acres  or 
more  would  be  exchanged  by  these  men  with  each  other, 
so  their  lands  were  more  in  one  body.  Sometimes  if  any 
proprietor  was  not  present  at  a  drawing  or  other  method  of 
giving  each  man  his  share  of  the  "common  and  undivided 
lands,"  a  committee  composed  of  men  of  their  number  and 
choice,  and  sometimes  a  committee  appointed  by  the  Gen- 
eral Court,  would  designate  the  lot. 

At  this  distance  from  that  period,  not  much  being  a 
matter  of  record,  it  cannot  be  expected  that  the  precise 
location  of  the  lands  and  houses  of  many  of  the  first  set- 
tlers can  be  designated  ;  and  if  it  were  practicable,  trom 
the  necessity  of  the  case,  any  language  or  description  that 
might  be  quite  intelligible  to  people  now  living,  would 
perhaps  be  obscure  and  without  meaning  to  those  who  are 
to  be  the  future  men  and  women  of  Townsend.  Some  of 
these  men  are  worthy  of  particular  notice. 

Jasher  Wyman,  the  clerk  of  the  proprietors  for  more 
than  twenty  years,  was  a  man  of  more  than  ordinary  ability. 
His  chirography  and  his  phraseologv  were  both  excellent. 
He  lived  in  what  is  now  Brookline,  on  the  east  side  of  the 
road  from  Townsend  to  that  town,  on  the  second  lot  north 
of  the  state  line.  He  owned  and  operated  a  saw  mill  there, 
the  first  ever  in  Brookline.  When  the  province  line  was 
established,  finding  himself  out  of  Massachusetts,  and 
taxed  to   support   a  minister  in  "Dunstable    west   precinct" 


LAND    GRANTS    AND    PROPRIETORS.  <il 

(Hollis),  although  he  was  strongly  attached  to  his  home 
and  neighborhood,  he  left  there  and  located  in  the  southerly 
part  of  the  town,  on  land  which  he  acquired  in  his  original 
two  hundred  and  tifty  acres.  He  was  a  man  of  good 
judgment  and  greatly  respected. 

Capt.  John  Stevens  lived  near  the  brook  running 
from  Hathorn's  meadow.  He  came  from  Groton  and  had 
a  residence  here  for  a  number  of  years,  being  an  inn- 
holder.  Some  of  the  regularl}'  called  meetings  of  the 
proprietors  were  at  his  tavern.  He  was  a  land  surveyor 
and  the  owner  of  the  most  acres  of  any  person  in  this 
vicinitv.  His  estates  were  in  the  towns  of  Mason,  Town- 
send,  and  Groton.  He  owned  at  one  time  most  of  the  land 
on  both  sides  of  the  river,  for  about  a  mile  from  each  bank, 
from  the  Harbor  to  Groton  line.  He  was  a  justice  of  the 
peace  and  had  considerable  influence  in  town  affairs. 

Ephraim  Sawtell  came  from  Groton,  and  his  house 
and  land  were  on  the  north  side  of  the  Harbor  pond,  his 
lot  extending  northerl}-  to  Jeremiah  Ball's  land.  He  was 
strictly  puritanical  in  his  views  and  acts.  He  was  modera- 
tor at  several  of  the  proprietors'  meetings. 

Timoth}'  Heald  li\-ed  in  the  south  part  of  the  town, 
on  the  road  leading  from  the  tirst  bridge  above  the  Harbor 
pond,  near  the  top  of  the  hill  where  a  traveller  first  begins 
to  lose  sight  of  the  Harbor,  going  towards  "South  Row." 
Tradition  informs  us  that  he  was  not  onlv  a  noted  hunter, 
but  that  he  was  posted  on  the  localities  of  certain  mines,  of 
which  everv  one,  besides  himself,  was  entirelv  io-norant. 
Nothing  further  is  known  of  him  except  that  he  was  in 
charge  of  a  log-house  made  in  a  defensible  manner  against 
losses  by  the  incursions  of  the  Indians.  One  of  these 
castles  was   located  north  of  the  Harbor  and  overlooking 


()2  HISTORY    OP^    TOWNSEND. 

the  same,  and  another  near  the  meeting-house  on  the  hill, 
and  the  same  tradition  further  saith  that  the  log-houses 
and  mill,  where  the  Harbor  now  stands,  and  the  direct 
surroundings  were  called  "  the  Harbor,'"  because  by  signals 
from  these  three  points  in  case  of  the  appearance  of  any 
"red  skins,"  the  settlers  could  soon  reach  these  places  of 
safety.  One  other  fort,  or  garrison,  as  they  were  called, 
of  the  same  kind,  was  located  on  the  southwest  side  of  Ash 
Swamp,  in  the  west  corner  of  the  road  leading  northerly 
across  said  swamp,  which  intersects  with  or  starts  from  the 
main  road  from  Townsend  to  Ashby. 

Joseph  Stevens,  who  was  empowered  b}'  the  act  of 
incorporation  to  call  the  first  proprietors'  meeting  was  a 
man  of  sterling  integrity.  He  lived  on  the  second  lot  on 
the  road  leading  from  Jeremiah  Ball's  house  (formerly 
described),  northeasterly,  at  the  base  of  the  hill,  near 
Pepperell  line.  It  has  been  said,  that  to  the  extent  of 
about  one-eighth,  he  had  Indian  blood  in  him. 

John  Wallace,*  his  brothers,  and  nephews,  were 
Scotch  Irish.  They  settled  on  the  hill  which  has  had  an 
Indian  name  in  this  work,  better  known  as  Wallace  Hill, 
at  the  present  da\-.  They  were  men  of  great  physical 
strength  and  endurance.  On  the  arrival  of  three  of  these 
brothers  at  Boston,  some  one  told  them  of  Townsend  and 
its  white  oak  timber,  and  advised  them  to  choose  this  place 
to  locate  in.  They  were  coopers,  and  introduced  that 
branch  of  industry  into  this  town.  This  business  has,  from 
that  time  to  the  present,  brought  more  money  into  Town- 
send  than    all   other  industries  added  together.      The    de- 


*  The  land  nil  wliicli -Tolm  Wall.Mco  settled  was  ;i  iiart  of  Hatlioni's  lanii.  ami  he 
took  his  a.Til  IVniii  ..lie,  TIm. 111:1^  niillips,  in  17:U.  His  lo<r-liou^<' stood  on  tlie  west 
side  of  "the  -i\  rod  w.iv,  ruiiniim-  iicirlv  north  and  south'"  (which  passed  by  the  east 
side  of  JIathorn'-  nide  s.|nare).  ahoni  eiiuidistanl  from  tlie  northeast  and  southeast 
corners  thereof. 


LAND    GRANTS    AND    PROPRIETORS.  63 

scendants  of  the  Wallaces  are  still  among  and  of  the 
most  respectable  people  in  this  and  adjoining  towns. 

William  Lawrence,  not  only  had  a  considerable  part 
of  his  father's  land  (John  Lawrence,  of  Lexington,)  in 
North  Town,  but  he  bought  and  owned  extensive  tracts  in 
the  northern  part  of  the  town.  No  one  man,  except  John 
Stevens,  and  Daniel  Taylor,  possessed  so  many  acres. 
His  name  appears  first  in  the  list  of  grantees  of  the  town 
of  Mason,  New  Hampshire,  (granted  1749,)  where  he 
owned  nine  of  the  two  hundred  farms  into  which  said  town 
was  surveyed  and  allotted.  He  served  on  most  every  im- 
portant committee  appointed  by  the  North  Town  proprie- 
tors. He  was  born  in  Groton  and  always  resided  there. 
He  was  a  prominent  and  popular  militarv  man,  holding 
the  office  of  Colonel  in  the  Militia  for  a  number  of  years. 
In  civil  life,  he  was  first  a  justice  of  the  peace,  then  justice 
of  the  peace  and  quorum,  afterwards  promoted  to  a  seat 
on  the  bench  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas  for  Middlesex 
County.  He  represented  Groton,  ^^■ith  the  districts  of 
Pepperell  and  Shirley,  in  the  General  Assembly  of  the 
province  of  Massachusetts,  several  dmes.  He  possessed 
excellent  judgment,  a  benevolent  disposition,  and  unfeigned 
piety. 

For  some  reason  unknown  to  the  writer,  Joseph 
Stevens  waived  his  riw^ht  of  callinij^  the  first  meeting  of  the 
proprietors  after  the  incorporation  of  the  town,  and  this 
duty  devolved  on  Benjamin  Prescott,  Esq.,  of  Groton,  in 
manner  as  follows:  — 

"Middlesex  ss. 

"To  John  Stevens  of  Townshend  in  the  County  afore- 
said one  of  the  proprietors  in  the   common   and   undivided 


()4  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

lands  in  the  Township  of  Townshend  in  the  County  afore- 
said Greeting. 

"Whereas  Col.  Josiah  Willard,  Joseph  Stevens,  Thomas 
Phillips  by  his  attorney  Isaac  Farnsworth,  Josiah  Wil- 
lard of  Boston  Esq.,  by  his  attorney  Josiah  Willard 
Esq.,  William  Lawrence  and  yourself,  one  of  the  pro- 
prietors of  the  common  and  undivided  lands  in  Townshend 
aforesaid,  have  made  application  to  me  Benjamin  Prescott 
Esq.  one  of  His  Majesties  Justices  of  the  Peace  for  the 
county  of  Middlesex  aforesaid  for  a  Warrent  for  the  calling- 
of  a  meeting  of  the  proprietors  of  the  common  and  undi- 
vided lands  to  be  held  at  the  Public  Meeting  House  in 
Townshend  aforesaid  on  the  last  Monday  of  July  current 
at  eleven  of  the  clock  in  the  forenoon,  to  the  end  that 
being  dulv  mett  and  formed  they  may  then  and  there  elect 
and  choose  a  clerk  lor  the  proprietors  aforesaid.  Also  agree 
upon  and  order  the  laying  out  into  lotts  and  dividing  the 
land  remaining  undivided  in  said  town,  to  and  amongst 
the  proprietors  aforesaid,  or  such  part  thereof  and  in  such  a 
way  and  manner  as  may  be  thought  best  and  be  agreed  on, 
and  choose  and  empower  proper  persons  for  a  committee 
to  manage  and  perform  the  same,  and  give  them  such 
instructions  and  directions  for  their  proceedings  therein  as 
shall  be  thought  tit. 

"Also  to  hear  and  examine  the  claims  of  the  proprietors 
aforesaid  to  any  interest  in  the  undivided  lands  aforesaid, 
and  if  they  see  cause  to  choose  a  committee  for  that  pur- 
pose, and  also  order  proper  records  to  be  made  up  of  the 
grants  and  rights  of  lands  in  said  Town. 

"Also  to  hear  and  examine  the  accompts  of  the  several 
committees  or  persons  employed  for  or  in  behall  of  the 
proprietors   aforesaid   for  their   trouble   or    expense    in    or 


LAND    GRANTS    AND    PROPRIETORS.  Q5 

about  any  of  the  proprietors'  business,  and  of  any  mone}' 
resting  in  their  hands  due  to  the  proprietors,  and  order 
payment  of  any  money  that  may  be  found  due  to  any  per- 
son for  any  service  by  them  done  for  the  proprietors,  and 
choose  and  empower  proper  persons  to  call  and  oblige  any 
person  so  employed  to  render  such  accompt  if  need  be. 
Also  to  agree  upon  and  appoint  some  proper  way  and 
method  for  calling  and  warning  proprietors  meetings  in 
Townshend  for  the  future  upon  any  proper  occasion. 

"These  are  therefore  in  His  Majesties  name  to  require 
and  command  you  to  notify  the  Proprietors  of  the  common 
and  undivided  land  in  Townshend  aforesaid  that  they 
convene  and  meet  at  the  time  and  place  above  mentioned, 
then  and  there  when  met  and  formed  according  to  law,  to 
proceed,  conclude,  determine  and  linish  the  several  matters 
and  things  above  mentioned  as  the  occasion  and  business 
of  the  said  meeting,  and  to  the  end  the  proprietors  afore- 
said may  have  tiie  better  knowdedge  of  the  said  meeting 
you  shall  post  up  a  Notification  in  Writing  expressing  the 
time,  Place  and  Occasion  aforesaid  of  the  said  meeting  in 
some  public  place  in  Townshend  aforesaid,  fourteen  days 
before  the  day   appointed  for  the  meeting  as  aforesaid. 

"Hereof  tail  not,  and  have  you  this  Warrant  with 
your  doings  thereon  at  the  said  meeting. 

"Given  under  my  hand  and  seal  at  'Groton  July  7th  in 
the  sixth  year  of  his  Majesties  Reign  anno  que  dominie 
1732. 

Benjamin  Prescott 

Justice  of  the  Peace" 

Hon.   Benjamin   Prescott,   was  born  in  Groton,  1696. 
Butler,  in  his  historv  of  Groton,  savs  :  "He  was  a  man  of 


66  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

superior  mental  endowments  and  of  commanding  appear- 
ance." He  was  the  father  of  Col.  William  Prescott,  who 
was  partly  in  command  at  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill.  He 
represented  Groton  most  of  the  time  from  1724  till  his 
death.  In  1724,  he  was  a  justice  of  the  peace,  then  only 
tw^enty-eight  years  old,  afterwards  he  was  a  justice  of  the 
peace  and  quorum,  and  in  1735,  he  was  appointed  a  judge 
in  the  superior  court.  "In  1738,  the  year  of  his  death, 
he  was  appointed  to  represent  the  Province  at  the  court  of 
Great  Britain,  which  office  he  declined,  giving  as  a  reason 
that  he  had  never  had  the  small-pox.  Hon.  Edmund 
Quincy  w^as  appointed  in  his  stead  and  died  in  his  mission, 
of  the  same  disease  which  Mr.  Prescott  so  much  feared 
would  prove  fatal  to  himself.  By  over-exertion  in  saving 
some  hay  from  a  shower,  he  became  surfeited,  and  died  in 
August,  1738,  in  his  forty-third  year.'"*  This  gentleman 
had  much  influence  in  encouraging  the  settlement  of 
North  Town.  His  judgment  w^as  almost  always  con- 
sulted in  matters  affecting  proprietary  interests.  His  lands 
were  on  Nissequassick  Hill. 

Daniel  Taylor  lived  on  the  west  side  of  the  road 
leading  from  the  Harbor  to  Lunenburg,  about  half  a  mile 
southerly  of  the  garrison  previousl}'  mentioned.  The  house 
he  occupied  during  the  latter  part  of  his  life,  which  he 
built,  one  of  the  oldest  in  town,  weather  beaten  and  cor- 
roded by  the  tooth  of  time,  is  still  standing  and  occupied. 
The  lands,  on  both  sides  of  the  road,  belonging  to  this 
estate  have  been  sold  piecemeal,  with  the  exception  of 
about  four  acres  on  which  this  old  unpainted  liouse  stands. 


Prescott  Memorial,  page  10. 


LAND    GRANTS    AND    PROPRIETORS.  67 

Longfellow  could  see  poetry  in  every  decorative  moulding 
attached  to  these  ancient  gables. 

"In  that  mansion  used  to  be 
Free  hearted  hospitality.'' 

It  was  once  elegant,  costly  in  its  finish  and  eligible  in 
its  location.  Joy  at  the  advent  of  the  helpless  infant,  the 
solemn  words"!  do"  and  "I  will"'  at  the  marriage,  and  the 
suppressed  moaning  of  the  survivor  of  the  departed,  have 
all  been  echoed  by  the  shrunken  panels  on  those  quaint  old 
rooms.  He  owned  land  in  fourteen  different  places  in  this 
town,  besides  being  possessed  with  a  good  amount  of  prop- 
erty. He  owned  more  slaves  than  any  other  person  in 
town.  There  were  then  here  five  or  six  families  who  had 
negro  servants.* 

Capt.  Taylor,  "of  the  training  band,"  buried  three 
wives,  leaving  the  fourth  a  widow  at  his  decease  in  1783. 
One  of  his  daughters,  by  his  second  wife,  Sarah,  married 
Deacon  Daniel  Adams,  in  1772,  and  was  the  mother  of 
Daniel  Adams,  M.  D.,  author  of  the  Scholar's  Arithmetic. 

Isaac  Spaulding,  came  from  Chelmsford,  and  bought 
the  proprietary  right  of  his  oldest  brother.  Deacon  Andrew 
Spaulding,  who  was  also  one  of  the  original  proprietors  of 
New  Ipswich,  New  Hampshire.  He  settled  on  the  south 
side  of  the  Harbor  pond.  He  was  a  man  of  influence  and 
the  first  Deacon  of  the  church  in  Townsend,  being  one  of 
the  selectmen  several  times.  The  place  where  his  son 
Jonathan  settled,  near  the  southeast  corner  of  the  town,  was 
Andrew  Spaulding's  second  division,  and  it  still  remains  in 
the    same    family,  the    present  being  the  fifth  generation  : 


*-'Phillis,  a  servant  of  John   Stevens,  born  Xov.  -26,  17.V2.    Annie,   a  servant  of 
Benjamin  Brooks,  born  11'^."— Town  Records. 


(58  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

Isaac,  Jonathan,  Jonathan,  Jonatlian,  Sarah  H.,  the  present 
occupant  and  one  of  the  heirs.  This  and  the  Emerv  phice 
are  the  only  locations  in  this  town  known  to  have  remained 
in  the  hands  of  the  descendants  of  the  first  settlers. 
Zackeriah  Emery,  hroke  the  wilderness.  Zackeriah,  John, 
Joel,  and  Charles,  the  only  male  heir.  Deacon  John. 
Spaulding,  (died  1866,  aged  72,)  was  a  great-grandson  of 
Deacon  Isaac.  These  Spauldings  are  and  were  a  robust, 
intelligent  people,  honest  and  upright  in  every  particular, 
and  somewhat  noted  for  their  longevity.  Without  doubt, 
more  persons  by  the  name  of  Spaulding  have  been  born  in 
Townsend  and  made  it  their  "continued  abiding  place," 
than  those  of  any  other  name. 

"The  Spaulding  Memorial,"  a  book  recently  published 
and  in  the  possession  of  many  by  that  name,  renders  it 
unnecessary  to  pursue  further  any  notice  of  persons  of  that 
name.  The  Townsend  Spauldings  are  all  descended  from 
Deacon  Isaac  Spaulding. 

It  may  be  considered  unimportant  b}'  some  readers 
and  critics,  that  so  much  has  been  said  in  this  work  con- 
cerning the  tirst  settlers  of  this  goodly  town.  But  when 
distant  generations  shall  come  and  ask  of  the  past,  and 
search  lor  traces  of  their  pilgrim  ancestry,  e^■ery  local 
historv  now  extant,  every  sketch  in  the  annals  of  any 
town  whether  small  or  great,  wherever  located,  and  by 
whomsoever  settled,  will  be  perused  with  iresh  interest. 
In  reviewing  the  povertv  and  hardships  of  our  forefathers, 
it  would  be  well  to  consider  some  of  the  advantagrs  within 
their  reach.  One  thing  especially  favorable  to  them  was 
the  pro(lucti\'eness  of  the  soil,  never  before  laid  under  con- 
tribution by  the  husbandman.  This  \\as  "Turkey  Hills, 
North  Town."     Wild  game  was  abundant,  wliich.  together 


LAND    GRANTS    AND    PROPRIETORS.  69 

with  the  cattle,  swine,  and  sheep,  made  our  ancestors  a 
carnivorous,  rather  than  a  "carnally  minded"  people.  Of 
wild  beasts,  the  onl}-  one  particularly  inimical  to  their 
interests,  was  the  wolf.  A  price  was  set  upon  his  head  for 
years.  The  Indians  and  the  wolves  expected  no  quarter 
from  the  settlers,  there  being  considerable  difference  in  the 
price  paid  for  the  heads  (or  scalps)  of  each.  Capt. 
Lovewell  and  his  men  received  one  hundred  pounds  for 
every  Indian  scalp  wherever  taken,  while  the  bounty  paid 
by  the  settlers  was  "ten  pounds,  old  tenor,  for  every  wolf 
killed   within   the  borders  of  the   town,  during  the  year." 

Certain  persons  were  chosen  annually  to  fire  the 
woods  to  destroy  the  trees,  that  grass  and  luxuriant  plants 
might  spring  up  for  cattle,  sheep,  and  horses.  Swine  ran 
free,  preying  indiscriminately  on  nuts,  acorns,  and  berries. 

The  method  of  travelling  in  those  times,  was  somewhat 
slower  and  surer  than  was  either  pleasant  or  convenient. 
Oxen  hitched  to  an  awkward,  clumsy,  two-wheeled  vehicle, 
as  an  apology  for  a  cart,  were  used  to  convey  parties  to 
church,  to  weddings  and  evening  entertainments,  when- 
ever the  roads  were  suitable  for  that  kind  of  locomotion. 
Should  the  objective  point  be  at  a  distance,  and  the  "way" 
rough,  horseback  travel  was  the  style.  Two  or  three 
persons  would  go  to  church  riding  on  the  same  horse. 
The  husband,  wife,  and  one  or  two  children,  would  mount 
from  a  horse-block,  when,  all  would  "go  up  to  worship" 
in  a  "tabernacle,"  rude  and  uncouth,  yet  "how  amiable"  to 
these  parents.  The  library  of  most  every  family,  except 
the  "learned  orthodox  minister  of  good  conversation,"  con- 
sisted of  the  Bible,  the  Psalter,  a  few  pamphlets,  and  some 
well  read  religious  books.  As  manufacturers,  it  can  only 
be  remarked  that  the  use  of   the  spinning-wheel,   brought 


70  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

over  bv  the  settlers  of  Londonderry,  New  Hampshire, 
in  1 7 19,  must  have  been  known  and  used  generally  by 
these  people.  Their  implements  of  husbandry  and  agri- 
culture must  have  been  extremely  unhandy,  and  continued 
so  for  a  long  time.  The  exemplar}-,  moral  character,  of 
these  descendants  of  the  pilgrims,  must  not  be  overlooked. 
Our  ancestors  not  only  believed  in  integrity  of  character, 
but  thev  lived  as  they  believed.  *  Bancroft  bears  this 
testimony  to  the  early  character  of  New  England,  in  whose 
honor  it  is  our  right  to  share,  that  "the  purit}"  of  morals 
completed  the  picture  of  colonial  felicity.  One  might 
dwell  there  from  3'ear  to  year  and  not  see  a  drunkard,  or 
hear  an  oath,  or  meet  a  beggar.  I  have  dwelt,"  he  adds, 
"the  longer  on  the  character  of  the  early  puritans  of  New 
England,  for  they  are  the  parents  of  one-third  of  the  white 
population  of  the  United  States.  Their  descendants  (in 
1834),  numbered  not  far  from  lour  millions.  Each  family 
has  multiplied,  on  an  average  of  one  thousand  souls." 

At  the  first  legal  meeting  of  the  proprietors,  called  by 
Benjamin  Prescott,  July  31,  1732,  Edward  Sherman  was 
chosen  moderator,  and  Jasher  Wyman,  clerk. 

"Voted  to  proceed  to  a  third  division  of  land  in  said 
town  and  lay  out  to  each  proprietor  sixty  acres  of  land 
and  qualify  the  same,  excluding  all  meadows,  and  that 
Timothy  Heald,  Shadrack  Whitney,  Jasher  Wyman,  Ens. 
Jonathan  Page,  Joseph  Baldwin,  Amos  Whitney,  and 
Daniel  Ta}-lor,  be  a  committee  to  lay  out  said  lands,  and 
that  each  proprietor  draw  for  his  lot  when  laid  out." 

It  was  the  intention  of  these  people  that  there  should 
be  as  fair  and  equitable  a  division,  as  possible,  among  the 


Volume  1,  page  4G7 


LAND    GRANTS    AND    PROPRIETORS.  71 

propriety,  of  all  the  swale  lands  or  meadows  in  the  town. 
Lands  are  designated  in  the  records  in  three  different  w^ays  : 
''His  original  or  house  lot  which  bears  No. — "  &c.,  "His 
Second,"  "Third,"  "Fourth,"  &c.,  "division  lot,"  and  "His 
meadow  lot,"  the  last  of  which  were  sometimes  in  parcels 
as  small  as  three  acres.  There  were  one  hundred  and 
sixty  grantees  under  the  proprietors,  some  having  lands  in 
ten  or  twelve  different  parts  of  the  town.  There  are  about 
seven  hundred  and  fifty  titles  to  land  in  town  to  be  found 
among  these  records.     At  the  same  meeting,  July  31st: — 

"Chose  a  committee  to  examine  the  claims  of  the 
proprietors."  "Adjourned  to  the  first  Tuesday  in  Novem- 
ber next."  At  the  adjourned  meeting,  "chose  a  committee 
to  examine  the  accompts  of  the  several  committees  that 
have  been  betrusted  with  any  business  for  the  proprietors." 

Josiah  Willard,  Esq.,  and  Lieut.  William  Lawrence 
"were  added  to  the  committee  to  lay  out  the  third  di- 
vision." A  vote  was  also  passed  whereby  any  five  pro- 
prietors, petitioning  their  clerk  in  writing,  could  call  a 
meeting  of  the  proprietors.  In  June,  1733,  "the  com- 
mittee chosen  to  examine  the  accounts  of  the  several 
committees  and  persons  employed  in  and  about  the  several 
services  done  for  the  proprietors  of  said  town,"  reported 
that  the  proprietors  were  in  debt  one  hundred  and  four 
pounds. 

Whereupon  "Voted  to  assess  a  tax  of  one  hundred  and 
fifty  pounds,  to  be  proportioned  according  to  each  pro- 
prietors' respective  interest,  and  to  be  appropriated  in 
paying  the  above  mentioned  sum  of  one  hundred  and  four 
pounds  and  other  necessary  charges." 

"Ephraim  Sawtell,  John  Stevens  and  Daniel  Taylor 
were  chosen  assessors." 


72  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

At  this  meeting,  "Voted  also  by  said  proprietors,  that 
they  would  allow  and  have  allowed,  unto  Henry  Parker 
and  Henry  Richardson,  who  built  the  meeting  house  in 
said  town  the  sum  of  fifteen  pounds  to  ease  their  hard 
bargain  in  building  said  meeting  house,  to  be  paid  to  them 
out  of  the  proprietors'  stock." 

Voted,  "that  John  Stevens,  Amos  Whitney,  and  Na- 
thaniel Richardson,  be  a  committee  to  inspect  the  common- 
and  undivided  land  in  order  to  preserve  the  timber  for  the 
benefit  of  the  proprietors." 

"Voted  that  the  selectmen  of  the  town  be  empowered 
to  lay  out  places  convenient  to  the  meeting  house  for 
building  horse  stables,  so  they  may  the  least  incommode 
the  common." 

These  equestrians  housed  their  horses  quite  snugl}- 
closing  the  doors  of  these  "stables"  against  the  wintry 
storms,  while  they,  themselves,  their  wives  and  daughters, 
were  engaged  in  worship  in  a  building  almost  as  rayless, 
chilly  and  forbidding  as  were  the  buildings  in  which  they 
left  their  beasts  of  burden.  They  scarcely  needed  a  society 
for  the  prevention  of  cruelty  to  animals,  when  the  horses 
were  so  much  better  cared  for,  in  proportion,  than  were 
the  members  of  their  own  families. 

Meetings  of  the  proprietors  for  the  first  ten  years  afl:er 
the  incorporation  of  the  town,  called  by  their  clerk,  by 
posting  notices  or  warrants  in  the  public  places  at  Groton, 
and  Concord,  besides  "a  notice  placed  on  one  of  the  pillars 
of  the  State  House  at  Boston,"  were  frequent.  There 
were  only  occasional  meetings  for  the  last  half  of  the  cen- 
tury, ending  December  31,  1799,  and  then  only  for  selling 
and  locating  the  limited  amount  of  lands  not  previoush' 
conveyed. 


LAND    GRANTS    AND    PROPRIETORS.  73 

The  last  meeting  of  the  proprietors  was  called  "at 
the  dwelling  house  of  John  Shipley  inn-holder  in  Town- 
send  Sept  i6  1822,"  more  than  one  hundred  years  after 
the  line  was  run  between  Groton  and  North  Town. 

John  Shipley's  tavern  was  the  same  building  that  is 
now  used  for  a  hotel  at  Townsend  Harbor,  and  it  has  been 
a  public  house  ever  since.  At  this  meeting,  among  other 
acts,  "Voted  to  close  our  proprietors'  matters  and  to  have 
our  book  of  records  and  plan  deposited  with  the  town  as 
prescribed  by  law  in  such  cases. 

Joseph  Adams* 

Moderator 
Daniel  Adams* 

Proprietors'  Clerk" 

The  committee  appointed  bv  the  Assembly-  "to  allott 
and  grant  out"  North  Town  were  among  the  influencial 
men  of  the  province.  Francis  Fullam,  the  clerk  of  this 
committee,  made  some  mistakes  at  their  first  meeting. 
"Bartholemew  of  Worcester,"  should  have  been  Barthole- 
mew  Jones  of  Worcester,  and  again,  "Stephen  Richard 
for  his  son  Joseph,"  should  have  been  Stephen  Richard- 
son for  his  son  Joseph.  There  were  seven  Richardsons. 
grantees  here  before  1737  (proprietors'  records),  among 
which  we  find  the  name  of  "Stephen  Richardson  for  his 
son  Joseph"  in  the  index  of  said  records.  There  undoubt- 
edly w^as  considerable  enthusiasm  and  good  feeling  on 
that  May  morning  when  the  committee  met,  at  the  old  town 
of  Concord,  to  do  this  work.  The  noise  attending  this 
unusual  gathering,  the  large  number  present,  together  with 
the  surroundings  of  Jonathan  Hoberd's  "inn,"  might  have 


74  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

been  the  cause  of  these  and  other  unhnportant  errors. 
It  may  be  of  interest  to  some  to  know  the  fact  that  the  kind 
of  Nathaniel  Colburn,  the  servant  of  John  Hunt,  of  Con- 
cord, the  original  proprietor,  was  in  part,  the  farm  now 
owned  by  the  heirs  of  the  late  Joseph  Haynes,  deceased. 
From  this  and  other  circumstances,  we  may  infer  that  the 
relations  existing  between  master  and  slave,  in  this  prov- 
ince, one  hundred  and  fifty  years  ago,  must  have  been 
much  more  creditable  to  the  "superior  race,"  than  was  that 
slavery  made  null  and  void  by  the  great  rebellion. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  clerks  of  the  proprietors 
and  the  years  during  which  they  served  : — 

Jasher  W3'man,  from   1732  to   1756. 
Jonathan  Wallace,  from  1756  to   1775. 
James  Locke,  from  1775   to  1786. 
William  Hobart,  from   1786  to  1790. 
Daniel  Adams,  from   1790  to  1822. 

These  men  possessed  a  fair  amount  of  literarv  ability, 
and  the  records  which  they  made  will  compare  very 
favorably  in  every  particular  with  those  of  their  contem- 
poraries in  our  neighboring  towns. 

Jonathan  Wallace  wrote  a  delicate  hand,  almost 
feminine,  but  remarkably  legible. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  proprietors  in  January,  1775, — 
"Voted  to  dismiss  Mr.  Jonathan  Wallace  as  proprietors' 
clerk,  and  have  chosen  James  Locke  in  his  room,"  and 
at  the  same  meeting — "At  the  request  of  Jonathan  Wallace 
it  was  put  to  vote  to  dismiss  him  in  all  the  offices  he  sus- 
tained in  the  propriety  of  Townshend  as  a  committee  man, 
and  chose  Mr.  Lemuel  Petts  in  his  room  in  all  said 
offices."  Tiiis  was  from  political  motives  as  will  be  ex- 
plained further  along  in  this  work. 

According  to  the  record,  Mr.  Locke,  "being  about  to 


LAND    GRANTS    AND    PROPRIETORS.  75 

leave  town,"  tendered  his  resignation  (1786),  whereupon 
the  proprietors  passed  the  following,  which  is  the  only 
complimentary  vote  in  their  whole  records  : — 

"Voted  the  thanks  of  this  propriety  be  returned  to  Mr. 
James  Locke,  late  clerk,  for  all  his  good  services,  and  that 
Mr.  Daniel  Clark  be  a  committee  to  inform  him  thereof." 

There  thus  appears  a  great  disparity  between  the 
popularity  of  these  two  men,  whereas  one  might  have 
been  equally  honest  as  the  other.  Mr.  Locke  had  but 
little  to  do  as  clerk,  "the  heat  and  burden  of  the  day"" 
being  borne  by  Wyman  and  Wallace. 

A  list  of  the  moderators  of  the  meetings  of  the  pro- 
prietors, and  the  years  during  which  the}'  held  the  office, 
is  here  inserted  : — 

Edward  Sherman,  1732  ;  Josiah  Willard,  1733  : 
Ephraim  Sawtell,  1733,  1735,  1754.  175^;  Samuel  Ken- 
dall, 1733;  WilHam  Lawrence,  1734.  1735,  1736,  1737. 
1739;  Isaac  Farnsworth,  1734;  Daniel  Taylor.  1748: 
James  Prescott,  1765,  1766;  Josiah  Sartel,  1767,  1768, 
1769,  1770,  1771,  1772,  1775,  1780;  Lemuel  Petts,  1784, 
1801  ;  William  Hobart,  1786;  Oliver  Prescott,  1790; 
Jonas  Prescott,  1793  ;  Levi  Kemp,  1797  :  Joel  Adams. 
1808  ;  Joseph  Adams,  1822. 

Meetings  were  often  adjourned  from  time  to  time,  so 
that  moderators  frequently  presided  at  a  meeting  a  year 
or  two  from  the  time  of  their  election. 

Among  the  inhabitants  of  Concord,  were  some  of  the 
leading  men  of  this  province,  at  the  time  of  the  settlement 
of  Townsend,  and  onward. 

December  6,  1737,  "a  township  east  of  the  Monadnock 
hills,  on  the  southern  branch  of  Contoocook  river,"  was 
granted  to  Samuel  Hay  ward,  and  others,  of  Concord. 
This  township  was  afterwards  principally  owned  by  Peter 


76  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

Prescott,*  of  Concord,  who  was  a  large  landholder  and 
speculator.  To  the  influence  of  Concord  men  may  be 
traced  much  of  the  success  of  Townsend  when  taking  its 
place  among  the  towns  of  "the  Massachusetts  Bay." 

Our  limits  forbid  anything  further  concerning  the 
settlers  and  founders  of  this  town,  quite  a  number  of  whom 
were  military  men,  some  holding  commissions  under  the 
King,  and  again  under  the  Commonwealth,  when  our  in- 
dependence was  the  objective  point. 

Something  of  an  incomprehensible  character  comes 
down  to  us  from  these  bold  and  intrepid  men.  They  ap- 
pear almost  within  the  environment  of  romance,  rather 
than  struggling  for  homes  where  they  could  enjoy  ''free- 
dom to  worship  God."  Some  barrier,  alwa3's  overcome, 
generally  interposed  between  them  and  success.  A  wil- 
derness w^as  displaced,  and  in  its  stead  Ceres  and  Pomona 
smiled  in  the  sunlight.  A  savage  foe  lurked  around  their 
cabins  and  garrisons,  but  "the  annointed  children  of  edu- 
cation were  too  powerful  for  the  tribes  of  the  ignorant."" 
And  when,  after  a  long  time,  they  began  to  enjoy  the 
fruits  of  their  labors,  and  hymns  of  gratitude  ascended 
from  their  altars,  their  king  taxed  them  beyond  their  endur- 
ance and  compelled  them  to  draw  the  sword.  Then  came 
"the  tug  of  war,"  in  which  they  were  again  victorious. 
Would  that  the  photographer's  art  could  reach  back  and 
give  us  the  forms  and  features  of  these  brave  men.  But 
like  the  knights  of  olden  time  : — 

•'Their  swords  are  rust,  •  . 

Their  bones  are  dust, 
Tlieir  souls,  we  trust. 
Are  with  the  just." 


*  Tradition  8ay.s  that  Peter  Prescott,  dining  the  time  he  passed  at  Peterborough 
lived  in  a  semi-subterranean  cave,  snugly  ensconced  in  an  abiiipt  hillside  with  a 
sunny  outlook:  and  that  his  Concord  friends,  and  the  land  speculators,  would  talk 
about  '-Ppter's  burrow,"  of  "going  up  to  Peter's  burrow,"— hence  Peterborough  or  the 
name  of  the  town. 


CHAPTER  III. 

ECCLESIASTICAL  HISTORY. 

Settlement  of  Rev.  Pliiuehas  Hememvay.  the  First  Minister  of  Townsend 
— Memoir  of  him  by  Rev.  Mr.  Temple — Cliurch  Covenant  written 
by  Mr.  Hemenway — Aceonnt  of  Servants  (negroes)  belonging 
to  the  Church— Church  Discipline— Owning  the  Covenant— New 
Lights— Character  of  Mr.  Hemenway— His  Death— Settlement  of 
Rev.  Samuel  Dix — Account  of  liis  Pastorate — Sample  of  his 
Eloquence — Action  of  the  Church  at  the  decease  of  Rev.  Mr. 
Dix — Ordination  of  Rev.  David  Palmer — Character  of  Mr.  Palmer 
as  an  Educator— The  Unitarian  Excitement  and  Withdrawal  of 
Mr.  Palmer  from  the  Town  Meeting-house— Account  of  the  Latter 
Part  of  his  Life— Pastorate  of  AVilliam  M.  Rogers — Pastorate  of 
Columbus  Shumway — Pastorate  of  David  Stowell — Pastorate  of 
Luther  H.  Sheldon— Pastorate  of  E.W.  Cooke — Pastorate  of  Moses 
Patten — Pastorate  of  George  H.  Morss — Pastorate  of  Henrj'  C. 
Fay — Ordination  of  Albert  F.  Newton — Names  of  the  Deacons — 
The  Unitarians  and  Their  Ministers— The  Methodists. 

These  descendants  of  the  pilgrims,  as  soon  as  pos- 
sible, placed  themselves  within  the  sound  of  the  gospel. 
Unfortunately  for  the  writer,  the  records  of  the  town,  for 
the  hrst  two  years  after  its  incorporation,  are  lost ;  so  that 
it  is  impossible  to  give  as  full  and  particular  account  of 
the  settlement  of  our  tirst  "learned,  orthodox  minister,"  as 
is  desirable. 

Their  house  of  worship  had  been  btiilt  three   or   four 

years    before    a  minister    was    ordained    within  its   walls. 
11 


78  HISTORY    OF    TOVVNSEND. 

There  is  no  record  of  the  dedication  of  this  building. 
Neither  do  we  know  who  were  the  candidates  who  came 
to  speak  to  these  people,  who  were  about  to  establish  a 
cinirch  here.  Tradidon  informs  us  that  the  setders,  before 
they  had  a  minister,  were  accustomed  to  go  to  Groton  on 
the  sabbath  to  hear  Rev.  Mr.  Trowbridge,  travelling  by 
couples  (man  and  wife),  on  horseback,  and  crossing  the 
Nashua  River  at  "  stony  fording  place,"  where  the  bridge 
now^  is  between  Pepperell  and  Groton.  Frequendy  men 
went  on  foot  the  same  route  and  for  the  same  purpose. 

At  a  town  meeting  in  March,  1734  :  "Voted  that  they 
would  choose  a  committee  of  three  to  purchise  a  lot  for 
the  minister." 

This  ''minister"  was  the  Rev.  Phinehas  Hemenway, 
whom  they  had  invited  to  be  their  spiritual  adviser,  and 
the  "lot,"  which  the  committee  "purchised,"  was  situated 
about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  northerly  of  their  meeting-house. 
The  "call"  to  this  gentleman  is  not  to  be  found,  but  on  the 
eleventh  page  of  the  town  records  is  recorded  Mr.  Hemen- 
way's  answer  to  such  a  solicitation,  which  is  as  follows  : — 

"To   the   Inhabitants  of   the   town  of  Townshend  July  the 
22,  1734. 

"Gentlemen:  Having  received  from  3'ou  a  call  to 
setde  in  the  work  of  the  evangelical  ministry  among  you. 
These  are  to  inform  you,  that,  after  serious  consideradon 
of  the  great  work  to  which  you  have  called  me,  and  I 
hope,  fervent  prayer  and  supplication  to  the  throne  of 
Grace  for  Divine  assistance  in  so  great  and  important  an 
aftair,  although  it  be  wdth  a  trembling  soul,  yet,  I  dare  not 
withstand  so  plain  a  call  from  God  and  his  people,  but 
humbly    manifest  to    you    my    acceptance    thereof.      And 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  79 

inasmuch  as  great  difficulties  and  disturbances  have  hap- 
pened in  some  places  of  this  land  with  respect  to  ministers 
salaries  through  the  alteration  of  our  medium  of  trade  or 
Bills  of  Credit ;  to  prevent  future  trouble  or  wrong  upon 
either  side  which  may  arise  upon  that  head,  I  desire  and 
expect  that  the  value  of  our  province  bills  from  time  to 
time  may  be  ascertained  and  secured,  and  that  by  a  proper 
vote  of  the  town.  Praying  God  to  direct,  guide  and  bless 
all  of  you  and  all  your  motions  and  endeavors  to  settle 
Christs  ministry  and  ordinances  among  you;  withal,  en- 
treating your  prayers  to  the  throne  of  Grace  for  me,  I  take 
leave  and  subscribe  myself  ( with  thanks  for  the  many 
kindnesses  and  respect  you  have  shown  for  me) 

"Your  souls  friend  and  Humble  Servant 

Phinehas  Hemenway" 

Mr.  Hemenway  was  ordained  on  the  third  Wednesday 
of  October,  1734.  He  lived  on  the  hill  where  the  meeting- 
house stood,  on  the  east  side  of  the  road,  about  hfty  rods 
northerly  of  that  location. 

At  a  town  meeting  on  the  29th  of  July,  1834  •  "Voted 
that  they  would  ascertain  the  bills  of  credit  for  Mr.  Hem- 
enway's  salary  as  silver  money  at  twenty-five  shillings  per 
ounce,  and  that  the  said  stated  salary  shall  alter  in  propor- 
tion as  the  value  of  silver  alters  with  the  goldsmiths  and 
merchants  of  the  town  of  Boston." 

It  will  thus  be  seen  that  the  town,  in  a  kindly  spirit 
and  with  much  alacrity,  acceded  to  the  reasonable  sug- 
gestion of  their  pastor  elect,  who,  with  considerable 
worldly  wisdom,  foresaw  a  depreciation  in  the  currencv. 
Mr.  Hemenway's  salary  was  "stated"  at  £100  per  annun, 
increasing  five  pounds  each  year  till  it  reached  £130.  It 
appears  by  the  town  records,   that  from    1740   to    1759  ^'^^^ 


80  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

salary  varied  from  £140  to  £210.  In  1746,  the  town 
"Voted  to  choose  a  man  for  a  committee  to  ask  Col.  Brattle 
[a  Dunstable  man]  and  Mr.  Trowbridge  [the  minister  at 
Groton]  their  opinions  relating  to  Mr.  Hemenway's  salary,'" 
His  salary  for  that  year  was  £170.  In  1747,  it  is  put  on 
record  at  £210,  showing  that  their  "opinions"  favored  an 
increase  of  his  pay,  undoubtedly  owing  to  the  depreciation 
of  the  scrip  then  in  use.  For  a  part  of  the  time  his  yearly 
pay  was  from  £35  to  £40  "lawful  money,"  instead  of  the 
"old  tenor"  currency.  He  received  also  £100  as  a  settle- 
ment, or  with  which  to  commence  house-keeping. 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Temple,  of  Framingham,  furnishes 
the  following  brief  sketch  of  the  lirst  minister  of  Town- 
send  : — 

"Rev.  Phinehas  Hemenway,  was  born  at  Framingham, 
April  26,  1706.  He  was  the  son  of  Joshua  and  Rebeckah 
Hemenway,  of  Roxbury.  The  father  settled  in  Framing- 
ham in  1691,  and  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  church 
of  Christ  in  this  town,  Oct.  8,  1701,  at  which  dme  he  was 
chosen  deacon.  He  had  enjoyed  the  advantages  which 
Roxbury  aftbrded  and  received  a  superior  education,  for 
the  time.  He  was  town  school-master  in  1706.  He  was  a 
man  of  decided  convictions  and  earnest  piety. 

"  In  doctrinal  belief,  he  agreed  with  Edwards ;  in 
church  polity,  he  was  a  strict  congregationalist,  as  opposed 
to  the  presbvterian  tendencies  of  the  day.  He  took  a  firm 
stand  in  favor  of  the  revival  under  Edwards  and  White- 
field,  and  was  known  by  and  shared  the  confidence  of, 
such  men  as  Rev.  Messrs.  Sewall  and  Prince  of  Boston. 
He  was  an  acknowledged  leader  in  the  civil  affairs  of  the 
town  ;  was  deputy  to  the  General  Court,  171 2,  17 17,  and 
held  manv  important  offices  of  trust.  Phinehas,  the  son. 
grew  up  under  tiie  influence  of  such  a  home,  and  was 
o-raduated  at  Harvard  College,  1730.      No  traditions   as  to 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  81 

his  person  or  character  are  preserved  in  the  family.  He 
was  the  first  native  born  son  of  Framingham  to  graduate 
at  college,  and  was  elected  master  of  the  grammar  school, 
at  the  close  of  his  senior  year.  He  commenced  teaching 
July  27,  and  continued  in  the  service  one  year,  for  which 
he  received  the  sum  of  £50." 

It  is  not  known  that  any  of  his  sermons  were  printed, 
and  in  fact  none  of  his  writings  have  been  preserved, 
except  what  is  contained  in  the  first  book  of  the  church 
records,  the  first  part  of  which  is  in  his  chirographv. 

The  church  covenant  was  the  first  record  made  in  this 
book  by  Mr.  Hemenway.  This  being  all  that  we  have 
from  his  pen,  it  is  thought  quite  pertinent  to  insert  it 
here  in  full  : — 

"Townsend,  October  16,  1734.  Then  there  was  a 
church  gathered  in  this  place  and  the  covenant  whicli 
was  submitted  to  and  subscribed  by  the  persons  as 
follows  : 

"We,  whose  names  are  hereunto  subscribed,  inhabi- 
tants of  y'^  town  of  Townshend  in  New  England,  appre- 
hending ourselves  called  of  God  into  the  church  state  of 
the  gospel,  do  first  of  all  confess  ourselves  unworthy  to  be 
so  highly  favored  of  the  Lord  and  admire  that  free  and 
rich  grace  of  His  which  triumphs  over  so  great  unworthi- 
ness,  and  an  humble  dependance  on  free  grace  for  divine 
assistance  and  acceptance  &c,  do  in  the  name  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  freely  covenant  to  bind  ourselves  solemnlv  in 
the  presence  of  God  Himself  His  holy  angels  and  all  his 
servants  here  present : — 

"i.  That  we  will  choose  to  take  y*"  Lord  Jehovah  to 
be  our  God,  and  we  promise,  depending  upon  the  grace  of 


<S2  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

God  for  assistance,  to  fear  Him.  cleave  to  Him  in  love  and 
to  serve  Him  in  truth  with  our  hearts,  giving  up  ourselves 
to  be  his  in  all  things  ;  to  be  at  his  direction  and  disposal, 
that  we  may  have  and  hold  communion  with  Him  as  mem- 
bers of  Christs  mvstical  body  according  to  his  revealed 
will,  to  our  lives  end. 

"2.  That  we  will  bring  up  our  children  and  servants 
in  the  knowledge  and  fear  of  God.  by  his  holy  instruction 
according  to  our  best  abilities,  and  in  special  by  the  use  of 
orthodox  catechisms,  that  the  true  religion  may  be  main- 
tained in  our  families  while  w^e  live,  yea  and  among  such 
as  shall  live  when  we  are  dead  and  gone. 

"3.  That  we  will  keep  close  to  the  truth  of  Christ 
contained  in  the  sacred  scriptures  ;  endeavoring  with  Godly 
zeal  to  defend  it  against  all  opposers  thereof  as  God  shall 
call  at  any  time ;  and  we  therefore  resolve  to  take  the 
Scriptures  as  our  sole  nth-  and  guide  in  all  things  and  not 
the  nnscriftiiral  inventions  of  men. 

"4.  That  we  will  have  a  careful  inspection  over  our 
own  hearts,  so  as  to  endeavor  by  the  virtue  of  the  death  of 
Christ,  to  effect  the  mortification  of  all  our  sinful  passions 
and  disorderly  affections,  whereby  we  may  be  withdrawn 
from  the  living  God. 

"5.  That  we  will  laithfully  improve  our  abilities  and 
opportunities  to  w^orship  God  according  to  the  institutions 
of  Christ  under  the  gospel  administration,  as  continually 
and  reverently  to  attend  upon  y'"  public  worship  of  God. 
and  to  have  communion  with  our  fellow  members  in  the 
use  of  both  the  seals  of  the  covenant  of  Grace,  Baptism 
and  the  Lords  Supper. 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  83 

"6.  That  we  will  peaceably  submit  to  the  holy  disci- 
pline as  approved  by  Christ  in  his  church  for  offenders, 
and  we  also  engage  that  we  will  obey  those  that  rule  over 
us  in  the  Lord. 

"7.  That  we  will  walk  in  love  toward  our  'fellow- 
members  endeavoring  their  edification,  visiting,  exhorting, 
comforting  (as  occasion  serveth)  and  warning  any  brother 
or  sister  walking  disorderly,  nor  divulging  private  offences 
irregularly,  but  heedfully  following  the  precepts  laid  down 
by  Christ  for  church  dealing  in  Math.  ch.  18,  vs.  15,  16, 
17,  willingly  forgiving  all  that  we  refer  to  the  judgment 
of  charity  that  they  truly  repent. 

Phinehas  Hemenway  John  Wallis 

Joseph  Stevens  Samuel  Manning 

William  Clark  Jacob  Baldwin 

Nathaniel  Tailor  Samuel  Clark 

Daniel  Tailor  John  Slowen 

Joseph  Baldwin  Benjamin  Tailor 

John  Stevens  Isaac  Spalding 

James  McDonald  Jeremiah  Ball" 

Soon  after  the  organization  of  the  church,  some  of 
the  wives  of  these  men,  and  others  of  the  same  sex,  were 
received  into  the  church.  Among  this  list,  we  find  "On 
March  nth  1739  Sarah  Hemenway  y*^  wife  of  y^  Rev. 
Phinehas  Hemenway,  having  received  a  letter  of  dis- 
mission from  y®  church  of  Southboro  was  received  into  our 
church  fellowship  and  communion." 

During  Mr.  Hemenway's  pastorate  which  covered  a 
period  of  some  more  than  twentv-six  years,  the  church 
increased  in  numbers  from  sixteen  to  seventy-nine.  The 
letters    of    recommendation,    bv     which    members     were 


84  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

received,  during  Mr.  Hemenway's  ministry  were  from  the 
churches  in  Chehnsford,  Andover,  Southboro,  Billerica, 
Hopkinton,  Lunenburg  and  Groton,  in  Massachusetts,  and 
Nottingham  West,  Greenhind  and  New  Ipswich,  in  New 
Hamps^hire. 

"Townshend  Jan.    26,    173*,    then   was   received    into 
the  church  Mary  the  wife  of  Lieut.  Daniel  Taylor." 

An  explanation  of  the  figures  in  this  record,  made  by 
Mr.  Hemenway,  may  be  of  interest  to  some  readers.  The 
manner  of  the  change  from  Old  Style  to  New  Style,  is 
substantially  and  summarily  as  follows  : — 

The  Julian  year  consisted  of  three  hundred  and  sixty- 
five  days  and  six  hours — making  the  year  too  long  by 
about  eleven  minutes.  Pope  Gregory  XIIL,  in  1582,  at- 
tempted to  reform  the  calendar.  From  the  time  of  the 
Council  of  Nice  to  the  time  of  Gregorv,  this  excess  of 
eleven  minutes  amounted  to  about  ten  days.  To  make  it 
all  right,  it  was  ordered  that  the  year  1582  should  consist 
of  only  three  hundred  and  sixty-five  days,  and  that  ten 
days,  between  the  fourth  and  fourteenth  of  October,  should 
be  expelled  from  the  calendar  for  that  vear.  To  prevent 
any  further  discrepancies  it  was  also  ordered,  that  no  year 
commencing  a  century  should  be  leap  vear,  excepting 
each  four  hundredth  year.  This  method  set  aside  three 
days  every  four  hundred  years,  at  the  rate  of  nearlv  eleven 
minutes  per  year  during  that  time,  leaving  an  error  of  only 
one  day  in  five  thousand  two  hundred  years. 

Before  the  time  of  Gregory,  the  calendar  was  ar- 
ranged by  Julius  Cajsar.  This  was  the  Julian  period  or 
Old  Style,  the  Gregorian  being  known  as  New  Style.  All 
Romanist  countries  adopted  the   New  Style   immediately. 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  85 

Great  Britain,  and  her  colonies,  from  prejudice  against 
and  hatred  of  anything  of  papal  origin,  did  not  adopt  the 
New  Style  till  1752,  or  one  hundred  and  forty  years  after 
the  ingenious  alteration  by  Gregory.  Before  1752  Eng- 
land had  two  methods  of  beginning  the  year.  The  histori- 
cal year  began  on  the  first  of  January — the  legal  and 
ecclesiastical  year  on  the  twenty-fifth  of  March.  The 
change  of  style  adopted  by  Great  Britain,  in  1752,  fixed 
the  first  of  January  as  the  commencement  of  the  year,  and 
abolished  the  distinction  between  the  legal  and  historical 
year. 

The  difference  in  the  commencement  of  the  respective 
years,  led  to  a  system  of  double  dating  from  the  ist  of 
January  to  the  25th  of  March, — sometimes  January  26, 
1734-5  or  1734,  the  4  denoting  the  legal,  and  5  the  his- 
torical year.  By  our  present  method  of  reckoning,  there- 
fore, Mrs.  Taylor,  was  admitted  into  the  church  February 
6th,  1734. 

The  church  book  of  records,  with  the  exception  of  a 
few  pages,  is  in  the  hand  writing  of  Mr.  Hemenwav  and 
his  successor  in  the  ministry.  It  contains  a  full  and 
accurate  account  of  the  names  of  the  church  members, 
and  the  time  when  each'  became  such,  the  baptisms  ad- 
ministered, and  the  marriages  performed  by  each  of  these 
pastors,  together  with  some  examples  of  church  discipline. 
This  book  shows  the  customs  and  state  of  society,  as 
well  as  the  fidelity  with  which  our  fathers  adhered  to  their 
church  covenant. 

"On  December   14th  1735   was  baptized   Andrew   Not- 
grass  a  servant  child  of  William  and  Eunice  Clark." 

"On   May    19th    1745   Ama   a  Negro  servant    of    Mr. 
Benjamin  Brooks  was  received  into   full   communion  with 
the  church  of  Christ  in  Townshend." 
12 


86  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

"On  September  4th  1737  was  baptized,  David  the  child 
of  Robert  and  Sarah  Avery  on  her  account." 

"July  13  1740  vv^as  baptized  Bette  the  daughter  of 
Robert  and  Elizabeth  Campbell,  after  he  had  owned  the 
baptismal  covenant." 

The  practice  of  "owning  the  covenant,"  man}^  in- 
stances of  which  are  recorded,  consisted  in  permitting 
persons  publicly  to  give  their  assent  to  the  creed  of  the 
church,  "or  own  the  covenant"  as  it  was  styled,  which 
gave  them  the  privilege  of  presenting  their  children  for 
baptism,  but  not  of  communion.  These  persons  did  not 
necessarily  profess  any  moral  or  religious  qualifications  of 
membership,  but  simpl}^  an  intellectual  assent  to  the  creed, 
and  were  sometimes  styled  "half-way  members."  They 
were  not  subject  to  the  discipline  of  the  church,  but  some- 
times, when  admitted  to  these  limited  privileges,  were 
required  to  confess  an  open  fault  or  oftence.  These  con- 
fessions upon  the  old  records  of  the  church  do  not  prove  a 
"full  communion,"  as  is  sometimes  supposed,  but  may  refer 
to  either  method  of  admission.  The  term  "admitted  to 
full  communion"  showed  a  square  standing  on  the  church 
platform,  while  "owning  the  covenant"  only  indicated  a 
partial  adherence  to  the  church  for  the  sake  of  securing 
the  benefit  of  baptism  for  their  children. 

"Whereas  Ceesar  a  negro  servant  of  Mr.  John  Conant, 
a  member  of  the  church  of  Townshend  has  for  sometime 
[  been  ]  in  a  disorderly  and  schismatical  way  withdrawn 
and  separated  from  the  communion  and  public  worship  of 
said  church,  to  the  breach  of  his  solemn  co\enant  engage- 
ments, when  he  joined  in  full  communion  with  said  church, 
and  to  their  great  grief  and  ofience,  which  practice  of  his 
tends  to  the  dissolution  and  destruction  of  this  church  and 
the  order  of  the  gospel  among  us. 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  87 

"Said  church  therefore  met  December  i8  1751  to  con- 
sider and  act  upon  this  case,  and  after  prayer  to  God  for 
direction  and  assistance  and  hearing  what  he  had  to  say 
in  vindication  of  his  conduct,  in  writing  and  by  word  of 
mouth,  the  church  voted  unanimously  : 

"i.  That  Cccsars  misconduct  in  separating  from  the 
communion  and  worship  of  our  church  in  Townshend  is 
in  our  judgment  matter  of  public  scandal. 

"2.  Voted  that  until  said  Cassar  gives  good  grounds 
of  repentance  for  his  misconduct,  we  suspend  him  from 
our  communion." 

It  would  have  been  interesting  if  "CcCsar's  Commen- 
taries" on  his  secession  from  the  church  had  been  spread 
upon  the  records  along  with  the  above  account. 

"At  a  church  meeting  June  9th,  appointed  to  reconsider 

the   case   of    Mrs. ,    recorded  in   23d  and   24th 

pages. 

"Voted  I  that  after  several  years  consideration  and 
much  consultation  among  ourselves  and  with  others, 
respecting  the  case,  and  having  free  converse  with  the  said 

Mrs. ,  this  day,   and  receiving  some  new  light, 

we  see  cause  to  retract  our  former  judgment  and  restore 
her  to  the  privileges  of  partaking  with  us  ;  and  with  regard 
to  some  difficulties  attending  the  case,  we  submit  them  to 
God  and  her  own  conscience. 

"2.  That  she  be  advised  to  examine  herself  diligently 
to  see  if  there  was  not  some  iniquity  in  her  conduct  in  the 
said  affair.  Accordingly  she  was  advised  in  the  name  and 
presence  of  the  church." 

We  can  conceive  of  nothing  that  comports  more 
strictly  with  the  teaching  of  Christ  and  his  immediate 
followers  than  this  simple  act.  Men,  who  thus  put  them- 
selves squarely  on  record  and  live  in  the  same  manner  that 


88  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

they  teach,  can  use  the  whole  ot'  the  Lord's  prayer,  in- 
including  "Forgive  us  our  trespasses  as  we  forgive  those 
who  trespass  against  us." 

About  the  time  of  Mr.  Hemenway's  settlement  here, 
the  distinguished  reformer,  John  Wesley,  came  to  the 
theological  surface,  causing  a  ripple  co-extensive  with 
Christendom.  The  English  church,  united  with  a  pam- 
pered and  proud  nobility,  contained  vice  and  corruption  in 
their  worst  forms.  A  writer  thus  describes  the  situation  of 
affairs  at  that  period:  "Deism  had  crept  into  the  univer- 
sities ;  the  established  church  was  filled  with  men  who 
made  religion  a  profession,  and  had  won  the  highest  prizes 
of  the  church  by  the  acts  of  the  politician  and  the  grossest 
forms  of  intrigue.  No  one  in  fact  supposed  it  was  wrong 
to  buy  a  deanery  or  clamor  for  a  bishopric  ;  that  it  was 
necessary  for  prelate  or  priest  to  be  a  christian  ;  or  to  live 
in  abstinence  and  go  about  doing  good.  The  people  were 
left  in  ignorance  and  vice,  the  cottages  were  filled  with 
want  and  blasphemy.  The  bishop's  palace  was  often  the 
haunt  of  fashionable  revelry,  and  the  bishop's  chief  aim, 
to  save  from  his  vast  income  a  sufficient  sum  to  leave  his 
sons  in  opulence  and  marry  his  daughters  to  titled 
husbands." 

The  remarkable  elocutionary  powers  of  Wesley,  to- 
gether with  his  sublime  faith  and  unostentatious  life,  gained 
for  him  an  audience  from  all  grades  and  conditions  of 
men.  His  efforts  made  a  lasting  impression,  favorable  to 
the  cause  of  morality  and  true  piety.  Perhaps  no  man 
was  ever  his  peer  in  arousing  the  vicious,  gaining  their 
confidence,  and  inducting  them  to  a  life  of  peace  and 
religious  consolation. 

In  common  with  all  reformers  his  fame  soon  spread 
abroad,  and  this  Oxford  graduate,  whose  eloquence  was  so 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  89 

irresistible,  soon  had  admirers  and  imitators  among  the 
sons  of  Harvard  College.  Some  of  the  most  influential 
among  the  clergy,  in  this  vicinity,  embraced  the  "sensa- 
tional" style  of  preaching,  among  whom  were  Mr.  Bird, 
of  Dunstable,  New  Hampshire,  and  Mr.  Bliss,  of  Concord. 
These  men  were  called  at  the  time  New  Lights.  The 
people  in  both  these  towns  were  exceedingly  agitated 
in  this  matter.  The  town  of  Chelmsford  was  "infected 
with  lay-exhorters  ;  and  distracted  by  such  persons  [  the 
revivalists]  preaching  in  private  houses  without  the  consent 
of  the  stated  pastor."* 

Mr.  Bird  encountered  a  bitter  hostility,  and  soon 
moved  out  of  the  town,  while  the  disagreement  among 
the  people  and  church  members  ended  only  with  their 
lives. 

In  Concord,  town  meetings,  church  meetings,  and 
ecclesiastical  councils,  were  held  in  quick  succession,  their 
object  being  the  displacement  of  Rev.  Daniel  Bliss,  who 
was  a  New  Light.  All  these  movements  failed  to  accom- 
plish what  was  intended,  for  Mr.  Bliss  had  a  "mouth  and 
wisdom  which  all  his  adversaries  could  not  gainsav  or 
resist." 

George  Whiteheld,  a  co-worker  of  Wesley,  and  a 
noted  preacher,  came  over  from  England  and  visited 
Concord.  He  was  so  impressed  on  hearing  Mr.  Bliss 
preach  that  he  said,  "If  I  had  studied  my  whole  life,  I 
could  not  have  produced  such  a  sermon. "f      This  was  the 


*  AUeu's  History  of  Chelmsfoiil,  page  116. 

t  "In  the  Boston  Evening  Post,  of  March,  1743,  is  published  a  letter  from  "'a  gentle- 
man of  iinqnestionable  veracity,  in  Hopliinton."  giving  an  account  of  a  sermon, 
preached  there  by  Mr.  Bliss,  in  which  it  is  said  :  "He  began  in  a  lovr,  moderate  strain, 
and  went  on  for  some  time  in  the  same  manner;  but  towards  the  close  of  his  sermon, 
he  began  to  raise  his  voice,  and  use  many  extravagant  gestures;  and  then  began  a  con- 
siderable groaning  amongst  his  auditors,  which  as  soon  as  he  perceived  he  raised  his 
voice  still  higlu'r,  and  then  the  congregation  were  in  the  utmost  confusion;  some 
crying  out  in  tlic  most  ilolol'ul  accents,  some  howling,  some  laughing,  and  others 
singing,  and  ^Nlr.  l'.lis>,  still  niaring  to  them  to  come  to  Christ— they  answering—/  luill, 
I  will,  I'm  coiniiif/,  I'm  cominy. — History  of  Concord. 


90  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

last  appearance  of  Mr.  Bliss  in  the  pulpit,  and  his  last 
sermon.  He  died  of  consumption  in  just  one  week  from 
that  time,  in  comparison,  as  much  lamented  then  as  he  was 
censured  during  the  six  or  seven  years  of  heated  contro- 
versy through  which  they  had  passed. 

The  church  of  Townsend,  and  its  pastor,  kept  aloof 
from  all  these  difficulties,  which  fact  alone  is  sufficient  to 
establish  the  wisdom  of  the  conservative  position  taken  by 
Mr.  Hemenway  during  his  pastorate  of  more  than  twenty- 
six  years.  It  may  be  said  that  he  lived  in  strict  conformity 
to  the  covenant  which  he  drew  when  the  church  was 
gathered.  From  the  information  within  reach  it  appears 
that  he  was  of  exemplary  character,  social  in  his  intercourse 
with  his  people,  averse  to  all  dogmatical  controversies, 
both  in  and  out  of  the  pulpit,  and  determined  only  "to  fight 
the  good  fight  of  faith."  His  mind  from  boyhood  craved 
the  mathematical,  perhaps  at  the  expense  of  the  polishing 
and  inspiring  influences  of  poetry  and  literature.  He 
seldom  attempted  to  move  his  audience  by  oratory,  and  if 
it  cannot  be  said  that  "truths  divine  came  mended  from  his 
tongue,"  yet  it  is  a  well  established  fact,  that  he  was  a  very 
acceptable  preacher  of  the  gospel,  and  that  he  enjoyed  the 
confidence  and  esteem  of  his  contemporary  brethren  in  the 
ministry.* 

He  married  Mrs.  Sarah  Stevens,  of  Marlborough, 
May  8,  17391  who  survived  him,  and  in  October,  1761, 
married  David  Taylor,  of  Concord. 

There  has  nothing  come  down  to  us  from  those  far 
back  colonial  times,  no  record  soiled  bv  the  breath  of  the 


*  At  the  ordination  of  Rev.  .Toshiia  Goodhue,  over  the  second  parish  in  Dunstable, 
Mass.,  on  the  8th  of  .June,  17o7,  "The  Revd.  .Josei)h  Emerson,  of  Peijperell,  began  ye 
Solemn  Kxercises  of  vt  Dav  with  Prnver:  The  Kevd.  Daniel  Emerson,  Preached  ve 
Sermon  from  I.ukc  -Jisl  linth  Phinchiis  Hcmcnwin  jfavc  ye  charirc :  And  tlie  Revd. 
Daniel  Wilkins,  of  Souhfjroiii.  ^riivc  Tlic  ripht  IlamI  of  VA\o\\A\\y."— church  records 
1,11  \tr.  CdiKlliiic.  1  Daniel  Kmcisoii.  l)clonj,'ed  to  Hollis,  N.  U.  Souhcfron  was  the 
I'ndiannameof  Amherst.  N.H.] 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  91 

generations  that  have  appeared  and  gone,  no  mutilated 
manuscript  descended  in  an  ancestral  line,  nothing  to 
satisfy  the  enquirer,  either  as  to  who  were  the  men  who 
assisted  when  he  took  upon  himself  his  ordination  vows, 
or  who  spoke  consoling  words  to  his  widow  and  children 
at  his  mournful  obsequies.  The  slate  head-stone  which 
marks  the  spot  where  he  was  buried  contains  the  follow- 
ing inscription  : — 

ERECTED  BY  THE  TOWN 
TO  THE  MEMORY  OF 

REV.  MR.  PHINEHAS  HEMENWAY, 

THE  FIRST  PASTOR  OF  THE  CHURCH  HERE, 

Who  departed  this  life  May  20,  1760, 

AGED  55, 

In  the  27th  year  of  his  ?vlinistry. 


He  was  sound  in  the  faith,  zealous  in  the 
Cause  of  God,  meek  and  patient  under  trials, 
Diligent  in  improving  his  talents,  faithful  to  his 
Lord,  and  to  the  souls  of  his  people. 

From  death's  arroics.  no  mje  or  station  is  free. 


At  a  town  meeting,  September  16,  1760,  "Voted  that 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Hemenway's  salary  run  on  six  weeks  after 
his  decease,  provided  Madame  Hemenway  will  give  the 
town  the  boarding  of  the  bearers  the  six  days  they 
preached." 

The  inference  from  this  record  is,  that  in  those  days, 
the  death  of  a  minister  was  considered  a  public  bereave- 
ment, and  that  this  town  had  the  deep  sympathy  of  the 
neighboring  churches  and  their  pastors,  on  this  occasion. 


92  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  town,  June  20,  1760,  "Voted  to  pay 
all  the  charges  occasioned  by  the  Reverend  Mr.  Hemen- 
ways  funeral  which  are  £102  i6s.  8d.  old  tenor,  and  that 
the  selectmen  provide  the  preaching  of  the  gospel  at 
present — and  provide  a  place  for  the  minister  to  keep  at." 

With  commendable  promptness  the  town  on  the  twen- 
tieth of  October,  following  :  "Voted  and  chose  Mr.  Samuel 
Dix  to  be  their  pastor  and  gospel  minister  by  a  unanimous 
vote."  Whereupon  the  church  gave  him  a  call,  which  he 
accepted  by  a  formal  letter  to  that  body,  January  13th, 
1761. 

Mr.  Dix,  was  a  native  of  Reading,  born  March  23, 
1736;  was  graduated  at  Harvard  University,  1758, 
ordained  March  4th,  1761,  died  November  12th,  1797,  in 
the  thirty-sixth  year  of  his  pastorate,  aged  sixty-two. 

The  Dix  family,  not  only  in  the  Rev.  Samuel  Dix's 
generation,  but  in  that  which  preceded  it,  was  noted  for 
great  perseverance,  strict  conformity  to  puritanical  princi- 
ples united  with  a  good  degree  of  culture. 

One  of  his  brothers  was  the  first  school-master  of  the 
town  of  Dunstable,  New  Hampshire,  another  brother,  who 
resided  for  a  short  time  in  one  or  two  of  the  neighboring 
towns  in  New  Hampshire,  was  the  grand-father  of  John  A. 
Dix,  Ex-Governor  of  New  York.  They  belonged  to  that 
class  of  men  to  whom  we  are  largely  indebted  for  botli 
civil  and  religious  liberty. 

The  class  in  which  Mr.  Dix  graduated  at  the  universitv 
contained  an  unusually  large  number  of  men  who  after- 
wards entered  the  ministry,  some  of  whom  in  abilitv  and 
usefulness  were  much  above  mediocrity.  One  of  his 
class-mates.  Rev.  Samuel  Pavson,  was  ordained  at  Lunen- 
burg, September   8,    1762,    and   died  February    14,    1763, 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  93 

aged  24.  Mr.  Dix  was  about  twenty-tive  years  old  when 
he  was  ordained. 

Rev.  Simeon  Howard,  a  distinguished  divine,  of  the 
same  class  in  college,  was  for  a  time  Professor  of  Divinity 
at  Edinburgh,  Scotland.  Thirteen,  of  this  class  of  thirty- 
one  members,  were  ministers  of  the  gospel. 

When  Mr.  Dix  came  to  this  town,  log-cabins  were 
about  going  out  of  fashion,  being  superceded  by  substan- 
tial frame  houses,  made  from  lumber  sawed  at  ''Conant's 
mill,"  or  the  mill  at  the  Harbor.  The  house  now  owned 
and  occupied  by  Israel  H.  Spaulding,  was  built  for  Mr. 
Dix,  and  he  lived  there  till  1770,  when  he  moved  to  the 
parsonage  given  to  the  town  by  Lieut.  Amos  Whitne^■. 

In  most  instances,  these  houses  were  large,  uncom- 
fortable two-story  structures,  the  rooms  on  the  first  floor 
being  generally  finished  with  a  suitable  panel-work  ceil- 
ing. The  second  stor}',  which  was  the  dormitory  of 
the  family,  except  the  parents,  seldom  had  an\'  finish 
unless  perhaps  a  temporary  partition  across  the  middle  of 
the  house.  The  pattering  of  the  rain  on  the  roof  in  mid- 
summer, or  the  more  blustering  music  of  the  wind  at  the 
December  solstice,  were  both  welcomed  b^'  the  rustic 
sleepers  within. 

The  town  voted  to  give  Mr.  Dix  £133  6s.  8d.  for  his 
settlement,  and  £66  13s.  8d.  lor  his  annual  salar}'.  It  soon 
became  apparent  that  this  sum  was  inadequate  to  his  sup- 
port, on  account  of  the  abundance  of  paper  money  then 
in  circulation.  The  town  with  alacrity  increased  his  pay, 
in  proportion  as  the  scrip  lessened  in  value. 

In  1779,  the  town  "voted  to  raise  £1,000  for  the  sup- 
port of  Rev.  Samuel  Dix,  and  his  family,  the  present  vear, 
including  his  salary,"  and  at  a  town  meeting  Julv  4,  1780, 


1»4  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

"voted  to  raise  £6.000  to  make  up  Mr.  Dix's  salary  to  the 
fourth  of  September  next." 

The  pastorate  of  Mr.  Dix  was  a  continued  era  of  good 
feeling  and  concord,  and  in  fact,  no  disagreement  of  any 
magnitude  ever  visited  the  church  in  this  town  for  nearly 
a  century  from  the  time  it  was  gathered. 

Mr.  Dix  was  a  very  successful  pastor,  and  was  much 
respected  and  beloved  by  all  who  knew  him,  as  a  neighbor, 
a  citizen,  a  "man  of  God."'  In  addition  to  his  labors  in 
Townsend  he  did  considerable  work  of  a  missionary  char- 
acter at  towns  in  this  vicinity,  where  they  had  no  ordained 
minister,  and  only  occasional  preaching.  He  did  pastoral 
work  in  the  towns  of  Raby  [now  Brookline],  Mason, 
Jaffrey,  Hancock,  and  Limerick  [now  Stoddard],  in  the 
State  of  New  Hampshire,  and  at  Ashby.  He  took  much 
interest  in  the  moral  and  religious  affairs  in  these  towns, 
and  he  had  the  pleasure  and  satisfaction  of  living  long- 
enough  to  know  that  each  of  these  places  had  a  regularly 
ordained  minister. 

The  church  and  people  in  Brookline  were  under  many 
obligations  to  Mr.  Dix  ;  and  it  was  in  accordance  with  his 
advice  and  good  judgment,  that  the  Rev.  Lemuel  Wards- 
worth  was  chosen  first  minister  of  that  town.  Ashby, 
also,  had  no  settled  minister  until  seventeen  years  after 
Mr.  Dix  was  setded  in  Townsend.  He  must  have  made 
many  journeys  to  these  places,  some  of  them  long  and 
tedious,  during  the  prime  of  his  life,  not  only  to  preach 
the  word,  but  to  solemnize  marriages  ;  to  visit  those  who 
languished  under  pain  and  sickness  ;  to  alleviate  the  sor- 
rows of  the  bereaved,  when  death  had  sealed  the  eyes  and 
frozen  the  liquid  current  of  vitality. 

Mr.  Dix  was  admirably  adapted  to  the  sacred  calling 
which  he  espoused.      He  was  dignified  without  coldness  or 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  95 

arrogance,  cheerful  without  levity,  and  strictly  courteous 
and  condescending  in  his  deportment.  He  gave  his  undi- 
vided attention  to  his  pastoral  dudes,  and  with  the  excep- 
tion of  one  or  two  patriotic  sermons,  delivered  during  the 
early  part  of  the  revolutionary  war,  he  labored  faithfully 
for  "a  crown  incorruptible"  both  for  himself  and  the 
people  committed  to  his  charge.  He  was  an  excellent 
classical  scholar,  and  as  a  writer  he  would  lose  nothing 
by  comparison  either  with  his  contemporaries  in  the 
ministry,  or  those  who  succeeded  him  in  the  church  in 
Townsend. 

The  following  is  a  sample  of  his  style.  It  consdtuted 
an  effort  complete  in  itself,  and  on  account  of  its  clearness 
and  brevity  it  is  here  inserted  in  full. 

The  charge,  by  Rev.  Samuel  Dix,  of  Townsend,  at 
the  ordination  of  Rev.  Eli  Smith,  of  Hollis,  November  27, 
1793  ■'— 

The  great  Savior,  who  is  the  head  over  all  things  to 
the  Church,  having,  in  his  all  governing  providence,  and 
as  we  trust,  by  his  most  gracious  Spirit,  called  you.  Sir,  to 
this  part  of  his  vineyard,  and  united  you  with  this  people 
in  love  ;  and  you  being  now  solemnly  introduced  to  the 
important  work  of  the  gospel  ministry,  and  ordained  a 
pastor  of  this  flock  in  particular;  we  charge  you,  before 
God  and  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  to  be  faithful,  as  is  required 
of  his  stewards,  in  the  execution  of  this  sacred  office,  and 
every  part  of  it. 

Preach  the  word  :  the  word  of  God  ;  the  same  truths 
and  doctrines,  which  Christ  and  his  Apostles  preached. 
Preach  them  plainly  and  fully.  Shun  not  to  declare  the 
whole  counsel  of  God.  Preach  them  activelv  and 
urgently,    as    becomes     their     inconceivable    importance. 


1)()  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

embracing  all  convenient  opportunities.  Be  instant  in 
season,  out  of  season,  reprove,  rebuke,  exhort,  with  all 
long  suffering  and  doctrine. 

Study  to  show  thyself  approved  unto  God,  a  workman 
that  needeth  not  be  ashamed,  rightly  dividing  the  word  of 
truth.  In  order  to  this,  give  yourself  to  reading  and 
meditation,  that  your  profiting  may  appear  to  all.  Take 
heed  to  yourself  and  to  your  doctrine  ;  continue  in  them, 
that  you  may  both  save  yourself,  and  those  that  hear  you. 

We  also  charge  you  to  be  friendly  and  faithful  to  our 
Divine  Master,  to  his  Church  and  the  interest  of  his  king- 
dom, in  respect  of  administering  the  seals  of  his  covenant. 
Baptism  and  the  Lords  Supper.  Teach  the  people  of  the 
Lord  to  discern  between  the  holy  and  profane.  Seek  the 
purity  as  well  as  the  increase  of  the  church,  which  is  Gods 
building ;  that  being  fitly  framed  into  Jesus  Christ,  the 
chief  corner-stone,  it  may  grow  into  an  holy  temple  in  the 
Lord. 

That  you  may  know  how  you  ought  to  behave  3'our- 
self  in  regard  to  discipline,  in  the  house  of  God,  which  is 
the  church  of  the  living  God,  learn  of  Christ  and  his 
apostles. 

Take  the  oversight,  not  as  being  a  lord  over  Gods 
heritage,  but  being  an  ensample  to  the  flock.  Observe 
these  things  without  preferring  one  before  another,  doing 
nothing  by  partiality.  Thus  endeavor  to  preserve  and 
promote  the  peace,  unity  and  edification  of  the  body  of 
Christ.  Now,  therefore,  be  strong  in  the  grace  that  is  in 
Christ  Jesus.  For  this  purpose,  and  that  you  may  be 
thoroughly  furnished  to  all  good  works,  continue  in  prayer  ; 
interceding  for  all  men.  Pray  with  and  for  the  people  of 
your  charge,  not  only  in  public,  but  also  in  private.    Wait  on 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  97 

the  Lord,  and  he  shall  strengthen  thy  heart,  and  bless  the 
people  whom  you  may  lead  and  teach,  from  time  to  time, 
in  His  name,  who  is  the  fountain  of  all  grace  and  glory. 

Whenever  you  may  be  called  to  assist  in  separating 
one  to  the  great  work,  on  which  you  are  now  entering, 
attend  to  his  qualifications,  especially  as  to  his  moral 
character,  and  religious  sentiments.  Lay  hands  suddenly 
on  no  man  ;  but  the  things  you  have  now  received  in  trust, 
commit  to  faithful  men,  who  shall  be  able  to  teach  others 
also. 

Be  thou,  Sir,  an  example  of  the  believers,  in  conver- 
sation and  charity,  in  faith  and  purity.  Endure  hardness 
as  a  good  soldier  of  Jesus  Christ.  Fight  the  good  fight  of 
faith.  Lay  hold  on  eternal  life,  whereunto  thou  art  also 
called. 

Dear  brother,  we  give  you  charge,  in  the  sight  of  God, 
who  quickeneth  all  things,  and  of  Christ  Jesus,  who. 
before  Pontius  Pilate,  witnessed  a  good  confession,  that 
you  keep  this  commandment  of  the  Lord,  without  spot, 
unrebukable,  until  the  appearing  of  Jesus  Christ,  who 
saith.  Surely  I  come  quicklv.     Amen. 

Mr.  Dix  w^as  held  in  high  estimation  by  the  Rev. 
Ebenezer  Hill,  of  Mason,  New  Hampshire,  who,  at  his 
own  expense,  caused  two  or  three  of  his  addresses  to  be 
printed,  as  exemplars  of  eloquence  as  well  as  piety,  and 
from  these  the  above  was  extracted.  Mr.  Dix  married 
Miss  Abigail  Chandler,  of  Boston. 

The  Rev.  Stephen  Farrar,  of  New  Ipswich,  New 
Hampshire,  who  preached  the  funeral  sermon  of  Mr.  Dix, 
says  of  him  :  "He  sustained  the  character  of  an  upright 
and  faithful  man,  who  shone  peculiarly  in  the  virtues  of 
meekness,  patience,  humility  and  self-denial,"  and  that  his 


98  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

preaching  was  accompanied  with  "earnestness  and  pathos 
of  address." 

During  the  hitter  part  of  his  life,  tor  sometime,  he 
experienced  a  degree  of  illness  from  which  he  suffered 
considerably  ;  still  he  attended  to  his  regular  pastoral 
duties.  There  was  a  large  assembly  at  his  funeral,  among 
which  were  many  ministers,  who  came  considerable  dis- 
tance to  pay  their  respects  to  the  memory  of  their  friend 
and  brother,  for  whom  Death  had  "unveiled  eternity.'' 
These  reverend  gentlemen  gratuitouslv  supplied  the  pulpit 
made  vacant  by  the  death  of  Mr.  Dix,  about  two  months 
trom  the  time  of  his  decease. 

The  ensuing  summer,  the  town  "  voted  and  chose 
Lieut.  Jacob  Blodget  a  committee  to  obtain  a  suitable  stone 
to  be  erected  at  the  grave  of  Rev.  Samuel  Dix."  On  his 
gravestone  is  inscribed  as  follows  : — 

ERECTED     BY     THE     TOWN 
TO  THE  MEMORY  OF 

REV.     MR.    SAMUEL    DIX. 

The  Second  Pastor  of  the  Church  of  Christ  in  Townsend, 

Who  departed  this  life,  Nov.  12,  1797, 
In  the  62d  year  of  his  age,  and  the  36th  year  of  his  ministry. 

He  was  sound  in  the  faith,  a  lover  of  souls  :  humble, 
meek  and  patient  under  trials,  kind,  cliaritable  and  benev- 
olent to  all. 


Vc  liviiiii'  nioi'tiils,  tiike  u  solcinu  view 
Of  this,  my  silent,  dark  and  l()ii<>-  abode.' 
Heineinber.  you  were  bom  like  me  to  die, 
Tlieicfore  i)re])ai-e  to  meet  a   rijiiiteous  God. 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY 


99 


The  town  soon  began  to  search  for  a  minister,  and  in 
every  particular  regarded  the  advice  of  Mr.  Farrar,  con- 
tained in  the  funeral  sermon  :  "You  are  now  left  as  sheep 
without  a  shepherd.  But  the  great  Shepherd  of  the  sheep 
still  lives,  and  may  His  watchful  care  be  your  guard  and 
defence.  See  that  3-ou  be  not  like  sheep  scattered  and 
dispersed  upon  the  mountains ;  broken  and  divided  into 
parties  ;  but  with  united  hearts  and  fervent  cries,  look  to 
Him  who  can  repair  your  breach,  and  give  you  a  pastor 
according  to  his  heart." 

There  were  several  candidates  for  a  settlement  over 
the  church  and  congregation  before  the  town  made  a 
choice. 

Rev.  Joshua  Heywood  ( D.  Col.  1795,)  preached 
throvigh  a  candidacy  of  "six  sabbaths'*  during  the  summer 
of  1798,  and  in  the  autumn  following  the  tow-n  "voted  to 
hire  Mr.  Whitney  (probably  Rev.  Nicholas  B.  Whitney. 
Har.  Col.  1793,)  for  six  sabbaths,  commencing  the  third 
sabbath  in  February  next.  The  length  of  time  that  Mr. 
Palmer  preached  as  a  candidate  is  not  known,  the  town 
voting  about  the  first  of  September,  "to  hear  Mr.  Palmer 
further  in  regard  to  a  settlement."' 

The  action  of  the  church  in  regard  to  Mr.  Palmer's 
settlement,  as  represented  by  the  records,  was  as  follows  : 

"The  church  met  according  to  previous  agreement,  at 
the  meeting  house  in  this  place  Sept  3'^  1799,  and  chose 
the  Rev.  John  Bullard  moderator. 

"Having  addressed  the  throne  of  Grace  for  light  and 
direction — Voted 

"i'"^  To  proceed  to  the  choice  of  a  gospel  minister, 
and 


100  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

"2^^  To  invite  Mr.  David  Palmer  to  be  our  pastor  and 
teacher. 

"N.  B.  Each  of  the  brethren  present  gave  his  vote  in 
favor  of  Mr.  Pahner  except  one,  and  he  had  no 
objection  against  him.  but  want  of  personal  ac- 
quaintance. 

"The  meeting  was  then  adjourned  without  a  day. 

John  Bullard 
Mod'".  _^r(?  ton.'"' 

The  record  continues  thus  :  "Mr.  Palmer  having  been 
served  with  a  copy  of  the  above  votes  (the  Town  concur- 
ing  in  the  same)  gave  an  affirmative  answer  to  our  invi- 
tation. The  chh.  being  notified  met  accordingly  upon 
adjournment,  2''  da}'  of  December  1799 — &  voted 

"i''*  To  invite  the  Pastor  &  delegation  of  each  of  the 
following  churches  viz,  the  chhs.  in  Windham  2-^  societv, 
N  Ipswich,  Shirley,  Lunenburg,  Lisbon,  Groton,  Ashby, 
Pepperell,  Boscaw^en,  Mason,  Hollis,  Brookline,  &  Fitch- 
burg,  to  join  in  council  for  the  purpose  of  separating  our 
Pastor  elect  to  the  work  whereunto  he  is  called. 

"2^-^'  That  Deacons,  Richard  Wier  &  Daniel  Adams  & 
brother  Jacob  Blodget,  be  a  committee  to  prepare  and 
forward  letters  missive  to  the  above  churches  for  s'^  purpose, 
and  to  lay  before  the  council  the  doings  of  the  church  & 
Town. 

"^'iiy    Voted  to  dissolve  the  meeting. 
"The  meeting  was  dissolved  accordingly. 

John  Bullard   Mode'" 

Pro  Tcni.'^ 

The  terms  on  which  Mr.  Palmer  was  settled,  including 
the  use  of  the  parsonage,  the  condition   in  which  it  was  to 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  101 

be  fitted  when  he  commenced  occupancy,  the  manner  in 
which  he  should  leave  the  same,  should  he  choose  to  do  so, 
the  mode  of  proceeding  in  case  either  party  should  become 
dissatisfied,  and  other  "provisos"  are  profusely  spread  on 
the  records  of  the  town. 

The  first  day  of  January,  1800,  was  appointed  for  the 
ordination,  the  exercises  consisting  of  prayer  by  Rev. 
Daniel  Chaplin,  of  Groton ;  sermon  b}'  Rev.  Andrew 
Lee,  of  Lisbon,  Connecticut ;  charge  by  Rev.  Ebenezer 
Hill,  of  Mason,  New  Hampshire  ;  right  hand  of  fellow- 
ship by  Rev.  John  Bullard,  of  Pepperell. 

The  new  year,  ordination  day,  opened  bright  and 
pleasant,  the  mercury  being  just  below  the  freezing  point ; 
a  few  inches  of  snow,  fastened  down  by  a  hard  crust, 
rendered  all  kinds  of  locomotion  very  agreeable.  The 
learned  council,  pastor  elect,  and  invited  guests,  dined  at 
the  widow  Sarah  Conant's  tavern,  at  the  Harbor,  at  12 
o'clock. 

After  the  good  cheer  of  "mine  hostess"  had  been  under 
consideration  for  a  suitable  length  of  time,  these  venerable 
divines  formed  a  procession  and  marched  by  the  music  of 
fife  and  drum,  to  the  meeting-house  on  the  hill,  where  they 
found  a  crowd  in  and  around  the  building,  through  which, 
with  slow  progress,  they  arrived  qt  the  pulpit  and  its  sur- 
roundings. This  was  a  perfect  holiday  for  Townsend  and 
its  vicinity.  In  addition  to  the  multitude  standing  on  the 
ground  looking  in  at  the  windows,  which  were  partly  open 
for  purposes  of  ventilation,  a  stage  had  been  built  up  at 
the  gallery  windows,  from  which  a  view  of  the  speakers 
was  obtained,  and  almost  everything  heard  that  was  said 
inside  the  house,  in  which  every  foot  of  room  was  oc- 
cupied.    These  outsiders  were  very  quiet ;  not  a  loud  word 


102  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

was  spoken,  yet  occasionally  at  the  motion  of  a  finger,  or 
a  wink,  a  cord  would  be  dropped  down  when  the  fisher- 
man aloft  would  "get  a  bite"  and  up  would  go  a  bottle  or 
a  flask.  Who  knows  that  these  were  not  "smelling 
bottles"  to  prevent  dizziness  at  that  altitude? 

Every  house  in  town  was  open,  and  the  hospitalities  of 
both  the  season  and  the  occasion  were  as  free  as  air.  A 
descendant  of  Samuel  Stone,  who  built  and  lived  in  the 
house  now  occupied  by  Samuel  Stone  Haynes,  informed 
the  writer  that  one  hundred  people  dined  with  Mr.  Stone 
on  that  da3%  and  that  twenty-five  of  them  passed  the  night 
with  him.  Most  of  the  prominent  men  in  town  were 
similarly  favored  with  the  presence  of  friends  and  relatives. 

This  was  the  last  festival  of  the  kind  in  which  all  our 
people  participated,  for  long  before  Mr.  Palmer  left  the 
church  militant,  and  before  his  successor  was  ordained,  it 
was  my  church,  my  minister,  my  mode  of  baptism,  and 
sectarianism  began  to  unfurl  the  banner  of  discord. 

Rev.  David  Palmer  was  born  1768,  at  Windham, 
Connecticut,  graduated  at  Dartmouth  College,  1797,  was 
preceptor  of  New  Ipswich  Academy,  1798,  ordained  the 
third  pastor  in  Townsend,  January  ist,  1800,  married 
Chloe  Kinsley  of  his  native  town,  1794,  '"^"^^  died  at 
Townsend,  February  15,  1849,  aged  81  years. 

Townsend  at  the  time  of  Mr.  Palmer's  ordination  was 
an  entirely  difTerent  town  from  what  it  was  when  either  of 
his  predecessors  entered  the  ministr} .  The  privations 
attending  the  converting  of  a  wilderness  into  a  township, 
filled  with  the  industries  and  embellishments  of  civilized 
life,  had  all  been  endured  and  accomplished.  The  event- 
ful da\s  of  the  revolutionary  war,  through  which  our 
fathers  struggled  and  bled,  had   all   taken    their   places   on 


a.A^'-^ 


^  ^Oc^Sm^e^' 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  103 

the  historian's  page.  Our  people  had  just  commenced  to 
manipulate  metalic  federal  money,  and  enter  on  the  enjoy- 
ments of  ''life,  liberty  and  the  pursuit  of  happiness."'  The 
printing  press, 

••The  mightiest  of  the  niiohty  means. 
On  which  the  arm  of  progress  leans," 

had  approached  the  town  as  near  as  Leominster  on  one 
side,  and  Amherst,  New  Hampshire,  on  the  other.  Edu- 
cation had  received  a  fresh  impetus  by  the  establishing  of 
the  academies  at  New  Ipswich  and  Groton,  and  by  more 
liberal  appropriations  for  the  support  of  common  schools. 
Enterprise  and  progress  were  the  watchwords  at  the  com- 
mencement of  the  present  century. 

Everything  considered,  the  town  and  church  made  a 
judicious  choice  for  their  third  spiritual  advisor.  Mr. 
Palmer  was  decidedly  a  popular  man  in  all  his  social  re- 
lations, and  his  influence  as  a  townsman  was  felt  partic- 
ularly by  the  children  and  youth  of  Townsend.  During 
most  of  his  pastorate  it  was  the  custom,  among  their  other 
duties,  for  the  ministers  to  examine  the  teachers,  and  in 
part,  to  superintend  the  schools. 

There  was  not  a  school  in  town  that  did  not  hail  his 
approach  with  pleasure.  Most  of  the  elderly  people  in 
town,  who  attended  school  here  in  Mr.  Palmer's  titne,  not 
only  remember  the  blandness  of  his  countenance,  but  they 
still  retain  pleasant  recollections  of  the  method  in  which 
he  would  interest  and  instruct  them  in  their  lessons  and 
duties  by  some  chaste  anecdote,  or  simple  story  told  in  a 
peculiarly  appreciable  manner. 

He  entered  into  the  spirit  of  improvement  in  all  things 
and  never  frowned  on  any  legitimate  amusement.  Music 
he  loved,  possessing  both  a  cultivated  voice  and  ear. 


104  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

At  a  town  meeting  in  1806,  "Voted  to  grant  Fit\y 
dollars  for  the  support  of  a  singing  school  this  year,  and 
chose  a  committee  to  conduct  said  school.  Chose  for  said 
committee,  Rev.  David  Palmer,  Mr.  Peter  Manning  and 
Mr.  Eliab  Going." 

Mr.  Palmer  was  also  a  practical  educator  outside  of 
the  pulpit.  About  twenty  young  men  fitted  for  college 
with  him,  a  part  of  whom  will  be  noticed  in  another  part 
of  this  work. 

Mr.  Palmer  solicited  for  the  money  which  was  paid 
for  the  first  bell  ever  hung  on  any  belfry  in  this  town.  In 
the  course  of  the  canvass,  he  spoke  to  one  of  his  people, 
an  old  man  bent  down  by  the  weight  of  years,  almost  to 
the  form  of  a  semi-circle,  but  possessed  of  a  good  amount  of 
wealth.  He  explained  to  the  old  gentleman  the  object  of 
his  visit,  setting  forth  the  advantages  of  having  a  bell,  and 
in  the  conversation,  he  said  that  every  one,  and  particu- 
larly every  stranger,  who  looked  u^  and  saw  a  bell  in  the 
belfry,  would  have  more  respect  tor  Townsend.  "I  know" 
said  the  octogenarian,  rolling  his  head  over  on  one  side 
and  casting  up  one  e3'e  to  Mr.  Palmer,  "but  I  have  most 
done  looking  11^."  "\  should  be  pleased  then  if  you  prefer 
looking  dozvn,  to  have  you  look  down  into  your  money 
purse  for  a  moment."  "That  can  be  done,"  said  the  old 
man,  handing  over  three  hard  dollars  to  the  minister,  when 
they  parted  in  excellent  humor. 

Mr.  Palmer  was  a  successful  pastor.  During  his 
ministry  two  hundred  and  fifty  members  were  added  to 
the  church,  sixty-two  of  that  number  having  joined  during 
the  year  1826.  He  studied  divinity  with  Rev.  Andrew 
Lee,  of  Lisbon,  Connecticut.  As  a  preacher,  he  was 
rather  doctrinal  than  practical,  but  interesting,  his  exer- 
cises  not  being  as   long    as  were    those    of  some   of  his 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  105 

brethren,  who  exchanged  pulpits  with  him.  A  few  of  his 
sermons  were  "pubHshed  by  request  of  his  hearers,"  one 
of  which  was  deHvered  on  the  twelfth  anniversary  of  his 
ordination,  from  the  text,  ''This  day  shall  be  for  a  memo- 
rial,"— Exodus  12,  14.  This  and  other  printed  discourses 
were  written  in  a  clear,  forcible  style,  exhibiting  deep 
thought,  good  scholarship,  and  unfeigned  piety. 

The  introduction  of  unitarianism  into  New  England, 
and  the  inauguration  of  the  Harvard  Divinity  School  in 
181 7,  swept  away  all  religious  unanimity  from  among  the 
churches.  The  cities  took  the  initiative  in  the  crusade 
against  the  faith  and  opinions  of  Knox  and  Calvin,  but 
were  soon  reinforced  bv  most  of  the  large  towns  in  the 
Commonwealth.  This  great  tidal  wave  reached  Town- 
send,  about  1825.  Rev.  Mr.  Thayer,  of  Lancaster,  was 
the  tirst  preacher  of  this  doctrine  here.  The  unitarians 
increasing-  durino-  this  time,  the  town  voted  to  grant  the 
use  of  the  meeting-house  to  them  for  a  certain  number  of 
sabbaths  at  several  times.  "Owing  to  some  misunder- 
standing in  regard  to  the  rightful  use  of  the  meeting  house, 
one  sabbath,  both  denominations  appeared  and  claimed  it: 
but  the  unitarians  had  taken  possession."  •  A  writer  in  the 
interest  of  the  congregationalists  thus  describes  what  oc- 
curred at  that  time  : — 

"Coming  into  the  church  one  sabbath  morning,  the  pas- 
tor found  that  the  unitarians  had  procured  their  champion. 
Rev.  Dr.  Thayer,  of  Lancaster,  and  put  him  in  his  place. 
Walking  up  in  front  of  the  pulpit,  Mr.  Palmer  turned  and 
publicly  addressed  his  people,  stating  that  he  felt  the  pulpit 
by  right  belonged  to  him,  but  as  another  had  been  put  in 
his  place,  he  should  not  contend  with  him,  nor  should  he 
countenance  error  by  remaining.    He  declared  his  purpose 


lOG  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

to  retire  to  the  school  house,  and  such  as  should  tbllow 
him,  he  would  preach  to  there.  Immediately  as  the  pastor 
left  the  house,  he  was  followed  by  his  flock,  like  the  faith- 
ful sheep  w^ho  knew  the  voice  of  their  shepherd,  till  not  a 
member  of  the  church  remained  behind,  and  not  one  of 
the  singers  formed  the  choir. 

"The  pastor  preached  to  his  flock  that  flrst  sabbath 
from  the  text,  Nehemiah  6,  ii,  'Should  such  a  man  as  I, 
flee  ;  and  who  is  there,  that  being  as  I  am,  would  go  into 
the  temple  to  save  his  life  ;  I  will  not  go  in.'  An  exami- 
nation of  this  text  with  the  verses  following,  and  a  consid- 
eration of  the  use  at  this  time  made  of  them,  will  reveal 
the  words  to  have  been  aptly  chosen." 

The  unitarians  asked  for  the  use  of  the  meeting-house 
one-fourth  of  the  time,  or  that  Mr.  Palmer  would  exchange 
with  ministers  of  that  denomination,  or  with  the  universal- 
ists,  that  they  might  enjoy  preaching  tor  that  part  of  the 
dme.  To  this,  Mr.  Palmer  would  have  agreed,  but  some 
of  the  leading  men  of  his  church  objected.  The  truth  is 
it  was  generally  known,  that  Mr.  Thayer  was  in  town 
on  the  evening  belbre  Mr.  Palmer  and  his  people  left  the 
church  ;  that  Mr.  Palmer  was  in  consultation  with  Mr. 
Thaver  during  the  evening  :  that  their  meeting  was  pleas- 
ant and  agreeable  ;  that  then  a  method,  whereby  the  unita- 
rians were  to  have  a  hearing  during  one-fourth  of  the 
time,  was  agreed  upon  by  these  ministers  ;  but  that  after 
they  had  separated,  certain  influential  church  members 
interview^ed  Mr.  Palmer,  and  squarel}-  objected  to  the 
arrangement :  and  for  the  sake  of  eflect,  the  programme, 
that  was  carried  out  the  following  day,  was  ordered.  Mr. 
Palmers  text,  on  arrival  at  the  school-house,  is  very  good 
proof  of  a  premeditated  act.  These  two  ministers  had  ex- 
changed pulpits  several   times   previous   to   this    time.      By 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  107 

this  difficulty,  some  curious  phases  of  human  nature  were 
developed.  A  short  time  after  this,  the  congregationalists 
erected  their  brick  church,  repudiated  Mr.  Palmer,  and 
put  in  his  place  an  eloquent  young  man,  whom  they  con- 
sidered amply  qualified  to  combat  unitarianism.  On  the 
other  hand  in  almost  as  brief  a  time,  the  unitarians  finding 
themselves  masters  of  the  situation  so  far  as  the  meeting- 
house was  concerned,  ordained  a  minister,  took  a  dislike 
to  him  soon  after,  dismissed  him,  and,  for  a  time,  placed 
Mr.  Palmer  back  in  his  old  pulpit  again. 

The  conduct  of  the  men  of  wealth  and  influence,  in 
the  congregational  church  at  that  time,  towards  Mr. 
Palmer,  can  never  be  explained  in  a  manner  that  will 
place  them  in  an  enviable  or  even  an  honorable  position. 
Mr.  Palmer  never  withdrew  his  connection  from  the 
church  over  which  he  was  ordained,  and  from  which  he 
was  dismissed  in  July,  1830,  after  a  pastorate  of  thirty  and 
one-half  years.  After  this  he  preached  for  some  time  in 
Brookline,  New  Hampshire.  Although  he  was  never  in 
indigent  circumstances,  he  was  the  recipient  of  man}' 
favors  from  kind-hearted  people  who  sympathized  with  an 
elderly  gentleman  deserted  by  those  who  should  have  been 
his  friends. 

As  a  compliment  to  his  integrit}',  and  from  motives  of 
benevolence  and  respect,  he  was  elected  by  the  town  a 
representative  to  the  General  Court  in  1833  and  1834.  His 
successor  in  the  ministry  also.  Rev.  Mr.  Rogers,  ex- 
tended to  him  many  courtesies  and  kindnesses  during  his 
short  pastorate,  and  although  he  keenly  felt  the  ingratitude 
of  those  who  cast  him  oft',  still  he  encountered  old  age 
with  cheerfulness,  and  death  with  the  hope  of  a  believer 
in  the  doctrine  which  he  had  preached. 


108  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

After  1830  the  town  in  its  corporate  capacity  was  not 
represented  by  any  religious  society  or  minister  of  the 
gospel.  Previous  to  that  time,  unless  by  special  vote  of 
the  town,  the  expenses  of  preaching  were  paid  by  a  tax, 
assessed  on  all  the  polls  and  estates  in  town.  The  con- 
gregationalists,  considering  that  another  church  was  about 
to  be  organized  in  Townsend,  saw  that  their  church  must 
have  a  more  definite  name  than  "The  church  of  Christ  in 
Townsend"  (by  which  name  the  church  under  the  town's 
ministers  was  known),  so  that  Februar}^  8,  1830,  the 
church  assumed  the  name,  "The  Orthodox  Congrega- 
tional Church  of  Christ  in  Townsend."  A  clerk,  treasurer 
and  prudential  committee,  were  also  chosen  about  that 
time. 

The  tirst  pastor  of  this  church,  the  Rev.  William 
Matticks  Rogers,  was  ordained  February  16,  183 1. 
Invocation  by  Rev.  Phillips  Payson,  of  Leominster; 
prayer,  by  Rev.  Charles  Walker,  of  New  Ipswich,  New 
Hampshire;  sermon  by  Rev.  John  Codman,  D.  D.,  of 
Boston  ;  ordaining  prayer  by  Rev.  Rufus  A.  Putnam,  of 
Fitchburg ;  charge  by  Rev.  Ebenezer  Hill,  of  Mason, 
New  Hampshire  ;  right  hand  of  fellowship  by  Rev.  John 
Todd,  of  Groton.  This  gentleman  was  born  in  England, 
but  came  to  this  country  in  his  bo3'hood  under  the  care  of 
his  relatives  who  carefully  superintended  his  education. 
He  graduated  with  honor  at  Harvard  University,  1827, 
and  at  the  Theological  Seminary,  at  Andover,  in  1830, 
where  he  ranked  the  first  in  his  class.  His  father  fell  at 
the  battle  of  Waterloo.  His  name  was  Kettell,  but  at  the 
suggestion  of  one  of  his  uncles,  who  had  been  his  patron 
and  was  about  to  endow  him  quite  liberally,  it  was  changed 
bv  an  act  of  the  Legislature  to  Rogers,   his   uncle's  name. 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  101) 

In  a  pecuniary  point  of  view  he  was  extremely  fortunate. 
The  legacy,  a  rich  wife,  and  the  large  salaries  he  received 
during  the  last  ten  or  twelve  years  of  his  life  brought  him 
wealth  in  abundance.  He  married  Adelia  Strong,  daugh- 
ter of  Judge  Strong,  of  Leominster.  He  possessed  little 
physical  force  and  vitality,  but  was  an  active,  keen  man. 

The  church  made  a  judicious  choice  in  selecting  their 
first  minister.  As  a  sectarian,  Mr.  Rogers  was  extremely 
prudent ;  and  he  was  much  more  ■  anxious  to  build  up  his 
own  church  and  society  than  to  pull  down  that  of  its  op- 
ponents, the  unitarians.  He  was  a  good  writer,  had  a 
winning  address,  and  was  a  popular  minister.  During  the 
four  years  and  live  months  of  his  pastorate,  one  hundred 
and  forty-nine  members  were  admitted  to  the  church.  At 
his  request  he  was  dismissed  in  July,  1835.  He  removed 
to  Boston  and  was  installed  pastor  of  one  of  the  churches 
in  that  city,  where  he  died  in  185 1. 

Rev.  Columbus  Shumway  was  the  second  pastor. 
He  was  born  at  Belchertown,  graduated  at  Union  College 
and  at  Auburn  Theological  Seminary,  and  was  installed, 
January  6,  1836.  In  every  particular,  he  was  a  respect- 
able preacher.  Mr.  Shumway  must  have  been  placed  in 
a  delicate  position,  and  experienced  all  the  difficulties  of 
being  the  successor  of  a  lirst-class  man.  Undoubtedlv  too 
much  was  expected  from  him.  The  notice  of  his  dismis- 
sion, tendered  to  him  March  28,  1837,  was  a  surprise  to 
him,  from  the  fact  that  up  to  that  moment,  evervthing  on 
the  surface  indicated  both  unanimit}'  and  satisfaction. 

Rev.  DAvid  Stowell,  born  1804,  at  Westmoreland, 
New  Hampshire  ;  graduated  at  Dartmouth  College,  1829  ; 
was  installed  third  pastor  of  this   church.    June   2S,    1837. 


110  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

Mr.  Stowell  was  a  man  of  good  intellectual  abilities,  on 
account  of  which  he  was  selected  to  till  this  position. 
There  were  some  irregularities  in  his  conduct  during 
the  latter  part  of  his  pastorate,  which  caused  both 
him  and  the  church  considerable  excitement  and  trouble. 
Two  or  three  ecclesiastical  councils  were  convened  to  con- 
sider the  case.  At  the  last  council,  the  opponents  of  Mr. 
Stowell  secured  the  services  of  Rev.  John  A.  Albro, 
formerly  of  Fitchburg,  to  substandate  the  charges  alleged 
against  him.  A  lawyer  from  Boston  appeared  as  counsel 
for  the  defence,  and  the  merits  of  the  case  were  discussed 
ably  and  somewhat  sharply  by  both  parties.  This  council, 
after  due  deliberadon,  ordered  the  dismission  of  Mr. 
Stowell,  on  the  lifteenth  of  August,  1843.  Before  coming 
to  Townsend,  Mr.  Stowell  had  been  settled  at  New  Boston, 
New  Hampshire,  where  he  preached  for  some  time.  From 
Townsend,  he  went  to  Fitzwilliam,  New  Hampshire, 
where  he  died  in  1854. 

Rev.  Luther  H.  Sheldon,  the  fourth  pastor  of  this 
church,  was  born  at  Easton,  1815  ;  graduated  at  Middle- 
bury  College,  1839 ;  graduated  at  Andover  Theological 
Seminar}^  1842,  and  ordained,  August  15,  1844.  Invoca- 
tion by  Rev.  Joseph  B.  Hill,  of  Mason,  New  Hampshire  ; 
sermon  by  Rev.  R.  S.  Storrs,  of  Braintree ;  ordaining 
prayer,  by  Rev.  Dudley  Phelps,  of  Groton  ;  charge  by 
Rev.  Luther  Sheldon,  of  Easton,  (fiither  of  the  pastor 
elect)  ;  fellowship  of  the  churches  by  Rev.  E.  W.  Bullard, 
of  Fitchburg.  Mr.  Sheldon  was  a  very  active  man, 
prompt  at  an  appointment,  and  always  prepared  for  an}- 
pastoral  work  to  which  duty  called  him.  He  took  an 
unusual  interest  in  education,    and  he  served  on  the  school 


J 


~-^   ,^  ^ 


yZ^^-^  o<j^^^^^&  /y 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  Ill 

committee,  to  the  advantage  and  acceptance  of  all  in- 
terested. The  abolition  of  slavery  was  an  object  that 
engrossed  his  attention.  Some  of  his  sermons  on  that 
subject  were  printed.  During  the  anti-slavery  excitement, 
and  what  was  known  as  the  Washingtonian  movement  in 
the  temperance  cause,  he  was  more  independent  and  out- 
spoken than  most  of  his  brethren  in  the  ministry.  He  was 
a  diligent  student,  a  forcible  writer,  and,  although  not  an 
orator  of  the  first  class,  he  delivered  his  sermons  in  an  im- 
pressive, intelligible  manner.  In  proof  that  he  not  onlv 
had  the  moral  and  intellectual  equipments  indispensable  to 
every  minister  of  his  denomination,  but  that  he  possessed 
much  shrewdness  and  good  judgment,  it  may  be  mentioned 
that  he  remained  pastor  of  this  church  more  than  double 
the  length  of  time  of  that  of  any  of  his  predecessors,  and 
about  four  times  as  long  as  the  longest  time  of  anv  of  his 
successors,  during  the  twenty  years  that  followed  after  his 
dismission.  Mr.  Sheldon  was  dismissed,  at  his  own 
request,  March  7,  1856,  after  a  successful  pastorate  of 
about  twelve  years. 

After  about  the  usual  time  spent  in  "candidating,"  the 
Rev.  Eli  W.  Cook,  a  graduate  of  Yale  College,  1837, 
was  chosen  pastor  of  this  church,  and  he  was  installed  on 
the  twenty-eighth  day  of  April,  1858.  This  Cook  did  not 
prepare  and  dispense  "the  bread  of  life"  in  a  manner  cal- 
culated either  to  please  or  edify  the  people,  who  looked  to 
him  for  a  good  example  and  a  character  above  reproach. 
Some  irregularities  caused  his  connection  with  this  church 
to  be  of  short  dui'ation.  It  is  probable  he  was  not  deficient 
in  either  natural  ability  or  education,  but  he  lost  the  con- 
fidence   of    the    church    and    societ}'    and    was    dismissed 


112  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

October  12,  1859,  ^^^-"^  pastorate  being  less  than  a  }ear  and 
a  halt; 

Rev.  Moses  Patten  was  ordained  pastor  of  this 
church  on  the  seventh  of  June,  i860.  Sermon  by  Rev. 
Austin  Phelps,  of  Andover ;  ordaining  prayer  by  Rev. 
Theophilas  P.  Sawin,  of  Brookline,  New  Hampshire; 
charge  by  Rev.  William  T.  Herrick,  of  Pelham  ;  fellow- 
ship of  the  churches  by  Rev.  George  Mooar,  of  Andover. 
Mr.  Patten  was  graduated  at  Dartmouth'  College,  1850, 
and  at  Andover  Theological  Seminar}-,  in  1855.  He 
was  not  a  fluent  speaker,  or  a  man  calculated  to  present  a 
tirst-class  sermon ;  but  he  sustained  an  excellent  moral 
character  which  won  for  him  the  respect  of  the  entire  com- 
munity. Had  his  intellectual  ability  been  proportional  to 
his  wish  to  do  good  and  his  honesty  of  purpose,  perhaps 
his  pastorate  would  have  been  longer.  He  was  dismissed 
April  27th.  1863. 

On  the  twenty-seventh  day  of  August,  1863,  the  church 
"Voted  to  instruct  their  committee  of  supply  to  employ 
Rev.  John  C.  Hutchinson  as  their  acting  pastor."  This 
gentleman  had  good  abilities,  but  withal,  was  rather  eccen- 
tric. Occasionally  his  sermons,  viewed  from  either  a 
literarv,  elocutionary  or  ecclesiastical  stand-point,  would 
not  sufler  in  comparison  with  those  of  the  popular  preach- 
ers at  that  time.  Sometimes  after  reaching  near  the  close 
of  a  discourse,  to  which  the  most  delicate  mental  organiza- 
tion could  take  no  exceptions,  an  uncalled-for  sentiment 
or  an  indiscreet  expression  would  drop  trom  his  mouth 
which  would  tarnish  the  entire  eflbrt.  His  remarks  at 
funerals  were  generally  timely,  appropriate  and  well 
received.      The  church   record   has  it,  that  "July  22,  1866, 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  113 

Mr.  Hutchinson  preached  his  farewell  sermon  and  left  this 
field  of  labor,"  being  acting  pastor  some  less  than  three 
years.  He  was  a  close  student  and  attended  strictly  to  his 
own  business. 

Rev.  George  Williams  was  installed  pastor  of  this 
church,  May  ist,  1867 — dismissed  February  ist,  1869. 
Mr.  Williams  had  been  a  chaplain  during  the  rebellion. 
It  was  considered,  previous  to  the  time  when  he  left,  that 
he  did  not  give  that  study  of  and  attention  to  his  duties 
which  his  calling  demanded. 

Rev.  George  H.  Morss  was  the  successor  of  Mr. 
Williams,  the  church  voting  to  employ  him  as  acting- 
pastor,  June  17,  1869.  Mr.  Morss  was  born  in  Lowell, 
in  1832.  He  fitted  for  college  at  Phillips  Academy,  An- 
dover,  graduating  there  in  1857.  His  health  tailing  him, 
he  did  not  enter  college.  He  went  south  and  spent  about 
a  year  in  teaching  among  the  Choctaw  Indians.  Having 
regained  his  usual  health,  he  returned  home  and  took 
some  of  the  college  studies  with  a  private  tutor.  He 
passed  the  usual  three  years  at  Andover  Theological 
Seminary,  where  he  graduated  in  1862.  Mr.  Morss  was 
a  quiet,  conscientious,  amiable  man.  There  was  nothing 
overbearing  or  dictatorial  in  his  manner  or  intercourse 
with  his  fellow-men.  His  words  were  well  spoken  and 
well  adapted  to  the  occasion  which  called  them  out.  His 
sermons  were  carefully  written  and  sometimes  consider- 
ably above  mediocrity.  One  of  them,  a  historical  dis- 
course, printed  by  order  of  the  church,  and  the  result  of 
much  labor,  was  well  recei\'ed.  He  was  dismissed,  April 
loth,  1873.  At  present,  he  is  located  very  pleasanth'  at 
Clarendon,  Vermont. 


114  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

On  the  twenty-ninth  day  of  September,  1873,  the 
church  "voted  to  invite  Rev.  Henry  C.  Fay  to  become 
its  acting  pastor ;"  and  he  immediately  accepted  the  invita- 
tion and  entered  upon  his  duties  with  this  church  and 
congregation.  He  was  born  in  Shrewsbury,  1827, — grad- 
uated at  Leicester  Academy,  1850, — graduated  at  Amherst 
College,  1854, — graduated  at  the  Theological  Seminary, 
Bangor,  1857.  Was  ordained  at  Northwood,  New  Hamp- 
shire, 1858,  where  he  remained  six  years.  He  was  four 
years  at  Newton,  two  years  at  Hubbardston,  two  years  at 
Harwich  Port,  and  three  and  one-half  years  at  Townsend. 
He  is  a  live  preacher,  a  close  student,  having  much  enter- 
prise and  force  of  character.  He  has  most  of  the  qualities 
requisite  for  a  leader.  If  he  had  been  educated  at  West 
Point,  instead  of  Bangor,  he  probably  would- have  suc- 
ceeded well  under  "shoulder-straps."  Considered  as  a 
writer,  or  a  speaker,  he  is  well  cultivated  and  appears  to 
good  advantage.     He  was  dismissed  in  September,  1876. 

Three  or  four  candidates  appeared,  in  turn,  to  preach 
for  the  congregationalists,  during  the  next  six  months, 
when  sometime  in  the  summer  of  1877,  the  church  ex- 
tended a  unanimous  call  to  Albert  F.  Newton  to  become 
their  pastor.  He  accepted  the  call,  and  was  ordained  on 
the  fifth  of  September,  1877. 

Rev.  Albert  F.  Newton  was  born  at  Salmon  Falls, 
New  Hampshire,  in  1848  ;  graduated  at  Appleton  Acad- 
emv,  New  Ipswich,  New  Hampshire.  1870;  graduated  at 
Dartmouth  College,  1874  •  graduated  at  Andover  Theolog- 
ical Seminarv,  1877.  The  clergymen  of  the  council,  who 
took  a  part  in  his  ordination,  were  as  follows:  invocation 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  115 

by  Rev.  Daniel  E.  Adams,  of  Ashburnham  ;  sermon  by 
James  H.  Thayer,  D.  D.,  of  Andover  ;  ordaining  prayer  by 
Rev.  Marcus  Ames,  of  Lancaster  ;  charge  by  Rev.  George 
Pierce,  of  Milford,  New  Hampshire  ;  fellowship  of  the 
churches  by  Rev.  J.  H.  Barrows,  of  Lawrence;  address 
to  the  people  by  Rev.  F.  D.  Sargent,  of  Brookline,  New 
Hampshire.  The  day  was  beautiful,  and  man}-  joyous 
faces  lighted  up  the  large  assembly  that  witnessed  these 
exercises.  Mr.  Newton  has  zealously  entered  upon  his 
labors  under  favorable  auspices,  and  in  the  lives  of  most 
of  his  predecessors,  he  may  find  patterns  worth v  of  his 
imitation. 

The  congregationalists,  during  the  year  1877,  erected 
a  set  of  buildings  suitable  for  a  parsonage,  the  result  of 
the  untiring  efforts  of  the  Ladies'  Benevolent  Society, 
connected  with  this  denomination.  The  land  on  which  the 
buildings  stand  was  the  gift  of  Deacon  Walter  Ha3'nes. 
The  dwelling,  for  the  convenience  of  its  internal  arrange- 
ments, its  general  good  proportions,  and  the  faithful 
manner  in  which  it  is  completed,  is  a  source  of  credit 
to  the   committee  which   superintended  its  erection. 

As  the  parsonage  house,  given  to  the  town  by  "Lieut. 
Amos  Whitney,''  in  1769,  although  renovated  and  wrought 
into  another  structure,  has  escaped  the  corroding,  devour- 
ing elements,  and  come  down  to  us  through  the  lapse  of 
more  than  a  century,  so  may  this  elegant,  unostentatious 
house  stand,  to  become  the  pleasant  abode  for  pastors  yet 
unborn,  who  in  their  turn,  shall  "bring  glad  tidings"  to  the 
on-coming  generations.  It  is  a  happy  thought  that  this 
church  has  furnished  a  suitable  residence  for  its  pastor, 
situated  so  convenient  to  the  church  edifice. 


ik; 


HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 


Names  of  the  deacons  during  the  time  the  church  was 
a  town  institution  : 

Joseph  Stevens,   appointed,   1734,  died,  1738 
Isaac  Spaulding, 
Samuel  Clark, 
Jonathan  Stow, 
*RicHARD  Wyer, 
James  Hosley, 
Jonathan  Wheelock, 
Daniel  Adams, 
John  Giles, 
John  Boutell, 

Names  ot"  the  deacons  who  continued  with  the  con- 
gregationalists  at  their  separation  trom  the  town  and  those 
who  were  appointed  b}'  them  afterwards  : 

Joel  Adams, 
Daniel  Giles, 
fSAMUEL  Walker, 


1734' 

-   1776. 

1738, 

'   1783. 

1763. 

'   1780. 

1773'   ' 

•    1812. 

1778,   • 

1782,   ' 

1782, 

'   1827. 

181 2, 

'   1825. 

1812, 

ontinned 

'   i860, 
with  tht 

appointed,    1824, 
1828, 


John  Spaulding, 
John  Proctor, 
Abijah  Blood, 
Walter  Haynes, 
Samuel  F.  Warren, 
Ambrose  G.  Stickney, 


1828, 

1845 ' 
1845. 
1870. 

1875- 

1875- 
1875- 


died,  1854. 

-  1858. 
•'  1859. 
'•   1866. 


When  the  congregationalists  seceded  from  wliat  was 
the  tirst  parish  in  Townsend,  they  took  with  them  every 
member  of  the  church,  the  communion  cups  and  baptismal 


*  Deacon  Wj-er  fell  while  planing  a  board  and  died  almost  instantly. 

t  Deacon  Walker  fell  while  at  work  in  the  hay-Held  and  died  snddenly  of  heart- 
disease,  lie  withdrew  from  the  orthodox  cluirch  and  joined  the  baptists,  about  fifteen 
years  previous  to  his  death. 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  117 

basin ;  no  one  appearing  to  object,  and  no  one  that 
remained  having  any  use  for  these  things.  It  must  not 
be  taken  for  granted,  that  either  party  to  this  controversy, 
during  these  exciting  times,  could  lay  claim  to  all  the 
consistency  or  amiability.  No  one  can  denv,  when  com- 
paring the  opinions  and  faith  of  the  trinitarians  of  the 
present  time,  with  the  printed  discourses  and  doctrines  of 
their  clergy  of  fifty  years  ago,  but  that  a  more  rational 
faith,  a  more  Christ-like  spirit  has  taken  possession  of 
the  minds  and  hearts  of  these  disciples  of  Knox  and 
Calvin.  One  might  attend  church  anywhere,  now,  with- 
out hearing  anything  of  the  doctrines  of  tbreordination, 
predestination  or  election,  each  of  which  was  extensively 
preached  by  the  clergy,  previous  to  the  advent  of  uni- 
tarianism. 

It  may  appear  singular,  that  a  part  of  the  town  at  that 
time,  making  no  pretensions  to  religion,  should  insist  on 
the  use  of  the  meeting-house  a  part  of  the  time ;  but 
it  must  be  considered,  that  the  people  asked  for  something 
more  than  the  dry  dogmas  of  the  school  in  which  their 
pastor  had  been  educated.  This  they  would  have  had 
(for  Mr.  Palmer  kept  up  with  the  spirit  of  the  times),  but 
for  an  undue  influence,  exerted  bv  the  same  individuals, 
who  eventually  cast  him  off  and  put  Mr.  Rogers  in  his 
place. 

The  most  prominent  men  left  in  1829,  to  represent  the 
first  parish,  were  Paul  Gerrish,  Aaron  Keys,  Richard  W. 
Pierce,  Solomon  Jewett,  Isaac  Turner,  Benjamin  Barrett, 
Jr.,  Jonathan  Richardson,  and  John  Preston.  Two  of 
these  persons  were  lawyers,  all  of  them  men  of  influence 
and  intelligence,  of  good  morals,  and  the  fathers  of  the 
town,  but  to  all  appearances  not  particularlv  pious. 


118  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

The  parsonage  given  to  the  town  by  Lieut.  Asa 
Whitney,  by  act  of  the  Legislature,  passed  into  the  hands 
of  the  unitarians.  There  were  not  any  regular  meetings 
of  this  society  on  the  sabbath,  or  much  preaching  for  some 
time  after  the  "orthodox"  built  their  house. 

Rev.  Warren  Burton  was  preacher  for  the  first 
parish  for  a  part  of  the  3^ear  1831.  Allow  the  writer,  just 
here  to  say,  that  Warren  Burton  was  a  clear-headed  man, 
an  excellent  scholar,  interesting  as  an  author,  attractive 
as  a  preacher,  and  by  far  the  ablest  minister  who  preached 
for  this  society.  He  graduated  at  Harvard  College,  1821, 
died  1866,  after  a  life  of  usefulness. 

For  the  next  three  years  Rev.  Jesse  Chickering 
was  the  preacher  for  a  part  of  the  time.  Occasionally  the 
pulpit  was  supplied  by  universalists  and  restorationists. 
During  the  year  1835,  there  was  not  much  preaching. 
The  treasurer's  book  of  this  society  does  not  show  that  any 
money  was  paid  for  preaching  during  this  year. 

Rev.  Ezekiel  L.  Bascom,  commenced  preaching  in 
the  winter  of  1836,  and  continued  till  the  end  of  the  sum- 
mer, during  which  time  he  gathered  a  church,  consisting 
of  about  twent3'-five  members.  Mr.  Bascom  was  a  man  of 
prepossessing  appearance,  of  good  address,  social  in  his 
manners,  spoke  easily  and  logically,  without  notes,  and 
his  labors  were  highly  appreciated  by  this  denomination. 
He  was  an  active  preacher  of  the  gospel,  after  this  time, 
at  Ashb}'.  Graduated  at  Dartmouth  College,  1798,  died 
at  Fitzwilliam,  New  Hampshire,  April,  1841,  aged  6;^, 
and  was  buried  at  Ashb\'. 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  119 

During  the  autumn  of  1836,  Linus  H.  Shaw  preached 
as  a  candidate  for  the  office  of  pastor  of  this  church  and 
society  for  four  or  five  sabbaths,  when  he  received  a  call 
for  a  settlement,  which  he  accepted.  He  was  ordained, 
December  21st,  1836.  The  following  was  the  programme 
carried  out  on  this  occasion  :  Prayer  by  Rev.  Nathaniel 
Whitman  ;  sermon  by  Rev.  Andrew  P.  Peabody,  of  Ports- 
mouth, New  Hampshire  ;  charge  by  Rev.  Samuel  Barrett, 
of  Boston ;  right  hand  of  fellowship  by  Rev.  Charles 
Babbidge,  of  Pepperell ;  address  by  Rev.  Calvin  Lincoln. 
There  was  a  drenching  rain  throughout  the  whole  day,  and 
for  this  reason,  there  was  not  a  large  audience  in  atten- 
dance. Rev.  Linus  H.  Shaw  was  a  graduate  of  Harvard 
Divinity  School,  1833.  For  some  reason,  the  mantle  of 
the  man  w'ho  gathered  and  founded  this  church  did  not 
tall  upon  this  young  pastor,  for  although  he  was  a  gentle- 
man of  unsullied  moral  character,  a  good  thinker  and  a 
good  writer,  vet,  there  was  something  lacking  in  his  social 
qualities,  whereby  he  was  never  popular  with  his  church 
and  congregation.  One  great  obstacle  in  the  way  of  his 
success,  was,  that  every  time  he  attempted  an  extempora- 
neous address,  he  made  a  complete  failure.  For  a  man  of 
his  experience,  he  wrote  good  sermons  and  read  them 
quite  well,  but  "his  occupation  was  gone"  unless  his 
thoughts  were  fully  submitted  to  writing.  After  a  pastorate 
of  about  two  years,  his  connection  with  this  parish  was 
dissolved,  and  he  moved  out  of  town. 

From  this  time  till  1852,  when  the  first  parish  sold 
the  meeting-house  to  the  methodist  society,  the  unitarians 
had  no  settled  minister.  Occasionally,  the  universalists 
and  restorationists,  as  well  as  the  unitarians,  occupied  the 


120  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

pulpit.  A  gentleman  by  the  name  of  Sayward  labored 
here  the  longest  of  any  one  from  1840  till  the  sale  of  the 
meeting-house.  When  the  universalists  built  their  meeting- 
house at  West  Townsend,  the  people  in  the  westerly  part 
of  the  town,  who  usually  attended  the  unitarian  church, 
withdrew  from  that  society  and  associated  with  the  univer- 
salists. The  most  influential  members  of  the  first  parish, 
by  this  move,  were  found  to  be  residents  of  the  easterly 
part  of  the  town.  There  were  two  meeting-houses  at  the 
centre  of  the  town,  and  two  at  the  west  village,  so  that 
the  influence  of  the  Harbor  in  asking  for  one  church 
building,  caused  the  sale  of  the  old  meeting-house  to  be 
effected. 

The  meeting-house  at  the  Harbor  was  built  according 
to  written  contract,  by  John  Hart  and  Amos  Morse,  in 
1853.  Daniel  G.  Bean,  of  Lowell,  was  the  architect. 
Perhaps  the  shade  of  Sir  Christopher  Wren  never  hovers 
over  this  edifice  without  hastening  to  Lowell  to  salute  this 
"cunning  artificer."  This  house  was  dedicated  in  the 
spring  of  1854. 

Rev.  Stillman  Barber  was  hired  to  preach  by  the 
unitarians,  about  that  time,  and  supplied  the  pulpit  for 
some  more  than  two  years,  when,  for  some  reasons,  best 
known  to  the  unitarians  themselves,  no  monev  was  raised 
to  support  the  preaching  of  the  gospel.  Mr.  Barber  left 
town,  and  all  interest  in  the  denomination  melted  like 
an  April  snow  wreath.  Since  that  dme,  with  the  exception 
of  one  or  two  law-suits  growing  out  of  some  financial 
matters,  and  the  settlement  of  its  affairs  generally,  nothing 
of  late,  has  been  heard  of  "The  First  Parish  in  Town- 
send."  The  fathers  of  this  denomination  have  been  gath- 
ered to  the    innumerable   muUitude   of  the    departed,    and 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  121 

the  temple  of  worship  erected  by  their  sons,  now  stands 
deserted,  cheerless,  and  seldom  entered  for  any  purpose 
whatever. 

For  two  years  previous  to  the  time  that  the  unitarians 
sold  their  house  to  the  methodists,  its  walls  echoed  the 
ringing  appeals  of  two  earnest  methodist  clergymen.  Rev. 
Horace  Moulton  and  Rev.  Samuel  Tupper. 

Rev.  Horace  Moulton  was  the  pioneer  methodist 
of  Townsend  ;  he  seemed  peculiarly  adapted  tor  an  evan- 
gelistic pioneer  work  ;  revivals  had  attended  his  labors  in 
nearlv  forty  towns,  before  he  came  to  Townsend.  His 
biographer  says  :  "  He  probably  organized  more  methodist 
churches  from  converts  saved  through  his  instrumentality, 
the  last  half  century,  than  any  other  minister  of  our  con- 
ference." In  1849,  ^^^  ""^'^^  stationed  in  Lunenburg,  but  he 
never  seemed  satistied  unless  he  was  engaged  in  revival 
work,  so  he  got  his  place  supplied  one-half  of  the  time, 
and  preached  in  Townsend  and  Pepperell.  He  organized 
a  class  in  Townsend,  that  year,  as  a  branch  of  the  church 
at  Lunenburg.  In  1850,  Townsend  became  a  separate 
charge. 

In  April,  1852,  Rev.  Samuel  Tupper,  preacher  in 
charge,  organized  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Society,  in  con- 
formitv  with  the  provisions  of  the  statutes  of  Massachusetts. 
From  1850,  until  the  present  time,  1877,  this  society  has 
sustained  preaching  and  weekly  religious  meetings.  Con- 
siderable interest  has  been  manifested  from  time  to  time, 
and    numbers    added    to    the    church.       The    revival    that 


122  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

attended  the  labors  of  I.  T.  Johnson,  the  evangehst,  that 
commenced  in  January,  1876,  was  the  most  extensive  the 
church  ever  experienced.  The  membership  of  the  church 
at  that  time  was  forty-four ;  the  membership  the  first  of 
January,  1877,  was  one  hundred  and  twelve,  and  seventy 
probationists. 

During  the  history  of  this  church  it  has  enjoyed  the 
services  of  eighteen  dii^erent  pastors  of  various  degrees  of 
ability  and  spiritualitv.  Their  names  and  order  of  succes- 
sion are  as  follows  : — 

Horace  Moulton,  Samuel  Tupper,  Pliny  Wood, 
Windsor  Ward,  J.  A.  Ames,  T.  B.  Treadwell,  A.  F.  Bai- 
ley, M.  P.  Webster,  C.  H.  Hanaford,  S.  K.  Bailey,  Burtis 
Judd,  E.  A.  Howard,  A.  K.  Howard,  T.  R.  Tisdale,  E. 
Burrlingham,  A.  P.  Adams,  A.  W.  Baird,  W.  E.  Dwight. 

The  first  three  gentlemen  mentioned  in  this  list  are 
dead  ;  they  were  men  of  influence  with  their  denomina- 
tion.    Mr.  Ward  died  in  Townsend  and  was  buried  here. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE  BAPTISTS  AND   UXIVERSALISTS. 

Formation  of  the  Baptist  Society  in  1818— Inaujiuration  of  the  Church 
in  1827— Levi  Ball  Chosen  Deacon— Action  of  the  Town  in  Favor 
of  the  Baptists— Pastorate  of  Rev.  James  Barnaby— Concise 
Memoir  of  Mr.  Barnaby — Some  Account  of  the  Successors  of- 
Mr.  Barnaby— Pastorate  of  Rev.  Willard  P.  Upham— The  Uni- 
versalist  Restoration  Society— Rev.  John  Pierce— Committee  to 
Build  a  Meeting-house— Mention  of  the  Several  Pastors  of  this 
Society. 

The  following  are  among  the  hrst  entries  in  the 
records  of  the  baptist  society  in  Townsend  :  — 

"Be  it  remembered  that  April  20,  1818,  x\sa  Baldwin, 
Joseph  Walker,  Thomas  Weston  and  Solomon  Stevens, 
who  were  members  of  the  churches  of  New^  Ipswich, 
Mason  and  Harvard  and  others,  met  and  formed  ourselves 
into  a  society  by  the  name  of  The  lirst  Baptist  Society  of 
Townsend. 

"Since  the  formation  of  said  societ}',  we  have  had  occa- 
sional preaching  bv  Rev.  William  Elliott  and  others." 

In  1827,  the  Rev.  Benjamin  Dean  "labored  here  as  a 
missionary  under  the  direction  of  the  domestic  Baptist 
Missionary  Society  of  Massachusetts." 

In  April  of  that  year,  this  society  decided  to  be  formed 
into  a  church,  and  in  order  to  accomplish  this  object,  they 


124  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

instructed  Mr.  Dean  to  call  an  ecclesiastical  council  by 
addressing  letters  to  the  neighboring  Baptist  churches. 
The  letter  sent  to  New  Ipswich  (which  is  spread  on  the 
records)  was  as  follows  : — 

"To  the  Baptist  Church  of  Christ  at  New  Ipswich  : 

"The  Baptist  society  of  Townsend  send  christian  love. 
Beloved  Brethren.  Sensible  of  the  importance  of  exhibit- 
ing the  light  of  the  Glorious  Gospel  of  peace,  in  all  its 
doctrines  and  ordinances  as  they  were  delivered  to  the 
saints,  and  viewing  ourselves  incapacitated  in  our  present 
situation  to  attend  to  the  ordinances  regularly,  and  having 
a  prospect  of  being  enlarged  in  numbers,  have  voted 
unanimouslv  that  it  is  expedient  to  invite  our  brethren  to 
visit  us  and  in  an  ecclesiastical  council  on  the  9"^  day  of 
May  next,  and  should  you  see  cause,  after  having  exam- 
ined our  situation,  to  constitute  us  into  a  visible  Gospel 
Church. 

Benjamin  Dean 
Levi  Ball 
Joseph  Walker 
Solomon  Stevens" 

The  churches  in  the  towns  of  New  Ipswich,  Mason 
and  Milford  in  the  state  of  New  Hampshire,  and  Chelms- 
ford, Harvard  and  Littleton,  in  Massachusetts,  were  rep- 
resented in  this  council  by  a  pastor  and  delegate.  The 
fourth  resolution  adopted  by  this  council  was  tlie  follow- 
ing : — 

"4.  Resolved  that  we  humbly  trust  that  we  have  the 
approbation  of  the  great  Head  of  the  church  in  acknowl- 
edging Brethren  and  Sisters,  Asa  Baldwin,  Joseph  Walker, 
Solomon  Stevens,  Joseph  Simonds,  Levi  Ball,  Susanna 
Holt,    Chloe    Ball,    Elizabeth    Stevens,    Unity    Manning, 


BAPTISTS    AND    UNI  VERS  ALISTS.  12o 

Lucy  Ball,  Chloe  Stevens,  Almira  Stevens,  and  their  as- 
sociates, The  First  Baptist  Church  of  Christ  in  Townsend, 
and  under  this  impression,  we  cheerfully  fellowship  them 
as  such." 

On  the  same  day  Levi  Ball  was  chosen  deacon  of 
this  church,  and  regularly  ordained  b}'  the  council.  The 
ministers,  who  constituted  this  council,  were  Rev.  Joseph 
Elliott,  of  New  Ipswich,  Rev.  Bela  Wilcox,  of  Mason, 
Rev.  Samuel  Everett,  of  Milford,  New  Hampshire,  Rev. 
John  Parkhurst,  of  Chelmsford,  Rev.  Abisha  Sampson,  of 
Harvard,  and  Rev.  Amasa  Sanderson,  of  Littleton.  Mr. 
Sampson,  was  moderator,  and  Mr.  Sanderson,  scribe. 

These  ministers  in  particular  were  invited  to  partici- 
pate in  this  council  because  most  of  the  persons  who  asked 
for  the  inauguration  of  this  new  church  were  members  of 
the  churches  in  their  several  towns. 

The  business  of  the  council  being  completed,  "Voted 
to  adjourn  to  the  congregational  church,  at  2  o'clock,  for 
services."  At  that  time  and  place,  Levi  Ball  was  ordained 
deacon  of  this  church,  by  the  reverend  gentlemen  of  the 
council,  with  considerable  "pomp  and  ceremony,"  each  and 
all  of  these  ministers  taking  some  part  in  the  services. 

It  is  certain  that  no  better  man  than  Mr.  Ball  could 
have  been  chosen  and  ordained  to  till  this  office.  The 
ancestors  of  Mr.  Ball  came  from  Wiltshire,  England.  He 
was  the  grandson  of  Ebenezer  Ball,  who  was  the  second 
child  born  (1729)  in  Townsend.  He  was  an  industrious, 
enterprising  man,  and  greatly  interested  in  the  success  of 
the  baptist  church  and  society.      He  died  in  1849. 

There  were  two  or  three  families  in  Townsend.  of  the 
baptist  taith,  about  the  commencement  of  the  present 
century.     These  people  were   obliged,  by   law,  to   pay   a 


12()  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

regular  tax  for  the  support  of  the  town's  minister,  besides 
being  under  a  moral  obligation  to  contribute  towards 
baptist  preaching  in  the  towns  from  whence  they  came. 

At  the  annual  town  meeting,  in  March,  1805,  the  year 
after  the  present  old  meeting-house  at  the  Centre  was  built, 
this  article  was  in  the  town  warrant : — 

"Article  7th.  To  see  if  the  town  will  consider  the 
baptists,  in  regard  to  their  paying  taxes  towards  the 
meeting-house  and  levelling  the  common." 

On  this  article,  "Voted  to  abate  Joseph  Walkers  poll 
tax  in  a  tax  called  the  glass  tax,  and  one-half  of  his  poll 
tax  in  a  town  tax  of  nine  hundred  dollars  in  Seth  Lewis' 
tax  list." 

The  town  also  "considered  the  baptists"  inasmuch  as 
to  grant  them  the  use  of  the  meeting-house  a  certain 
number  of  sabbaths  during  the  year,  for  quite  a  number  of 
consecutive  3xars.  Usually  their  meetings  were  (previous 
to  1834)  held  in  what  was  the  battery  school-house,  where 
they  had  services  part  of  the  time,  but  not  constant 
preaching. 

The  church  record  for  May  20th,  1833,  shows  the 
following :  "  Chose  Rev.  Caleb  Brown  our  pastor." 
This  gentleman  labored  until  the  summer  of  1S35.  The 
baptist  meeting-house  ha\ing  been  dedicated  during  the 
early  part  of  the  previous  winter,  and  the  church  being 
increased  some  in  numbers,  so  that  the  surroundings  and 
circumstances  began  to  be  more  favorable  to  this  denomina- 
tion, an  effort  was  made  to  secure  the  services  of  some  one 
distinguished  in  the  baptist  denomination,  for  their  pastor. 

In  June  of  this  year  the  church  gave  Rev.  James 
Barnai'.v,  pastor  of  the  second  baptist  church   in   Lowell, 


BAPTISTS    AND    UNIVERSALISTS.  127 

an  invitation  to  settle  with  them  at  the  annual  salary  of  five 
hundred  dollars.  There  is  nothing  in  the  church  records 
concerning  his  installation  here,  but  the  time  ot' his  coming 
is  recorded:  "Sept.  28,  1835,  Mr.  Barnaby  removed 
among  us  and  entered  on  his  labors."  A  large  number 
comparatively  attended  the  meetings  during  Mr.  Barnaby 's 
pastorate,  but  there  was  no  special  revival.  In  1836,  the 
church  contained  thirty-seven  members.  Mr.  Barnaby  at 
that  time,  was  of  prepossessing  appearance  and  pleasing 
address.  After  the  short  pastorate  of  about  two  years,  for 
certain  reasons  he  asked  his  dismission,  which  was  rather 
reluctantly  granted,  both  pastor  and  church  being  much 
attached  to  each  other.  He  was  dismissed  October  8, 
1837,  when  he  removed  to  Harwich,  where  he  was  installed 
over  the  oldest  baptist  church  in  that  part  of  the  state. 
Since  that  time  he  has  been  settled  at  Deerfield,  New 
Hampshire,  where  he  occupied  a  parsonage,  the  buildings 
of  which  were  burned,  together  with  nearly  all  of  his  per- 
sonal property.  He  has  also  had  a  pastorate  in  five  or  six- 
other  places.  He  was  born  at  Freetown,  June  25th,  1787  ; 
graduated  at  Brown  University,  1809,  died  December  loth, 
1877,  at  Harwich,  leaving  a  widow  six  months  his  senior, 
with  whom  he  lived  sixty-seven  years,  each  of  which  was 
devoted  to  the  Master's  service.  He  was  an  earnest,  suc- 
cessful pastor  at  every  place  where  he  labored,  and  during 
the  latter  part  of  his  life,  from  the  deference  paid  to  him 
by  all  denominations  he  was  called,  the  ''Bishop  of  the 
Cape."  A  notice  of  him  at  his  death  says  :  "He  baptized 
about  two  thousand  eight  hundred  persons,  four  hundred 
of  whom  he  received  into  the  fellowship  of  this  church;" 
meaning  the  baptist  church,  at  Harwich,  of  which  he  was 
pastor  at  the  time  of  his  death. 


128  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

Rev.  Oren  Tracy,  was  the  next  minister.  He  came 
from  Newport,  New  Hampshire,  to  this  town,  and  com- 
menced his  Libors  February  3,  1838.  There  was  a  very 
pleasant  intercourse  between  Mr.  Tracy  and  this  church 
and  people.  A  baptist  church  in  Fitchburg,  being  favor- 
ably impressed  b}'  Mr.  Tracy,  gave  him  a  call  with  an 
offer  of  a  larger  salary,  when  "his  duty"  pointing  in  that 
direction,  he  asked  his  dismission  in  January,  1841,  and 
soon  departed  to  that  place. 

In  the  spring  of  1841,  the  church  gave  a  call  to  Rev. 
Charles  W.  Reding,  who  was  regularly  installed  soon 
after.  He  remained  till  July,  1844,  when  the  society 
"Voted  that  the  pastoral  connection ,  between  Rev.  Mr. 
Reding  and  this  church  and  society  be  dissolved."  He 
was  a  polished  man. 

Rev.  W.  C.  Richards,  was  the  successor  of  Mr. 
Reding.  He  was  the  pastor  for  two  or  three  years,  when 
the  services  of  Rev.  Caleb  Blood  were  secured  for  about 
two  3'ears.  He  was  grandson  of  his  namesake,  who  was 
a  distinguished  man  in  the  baptist  denomination. 

Rev.  F.  G.  Brown  commenced  preaching  for  the 
baptists  in  1850.  Rev.  Lester  Williams,  Rev.  E.  A. 
Battell  and  Rev.  F.  G.  Brown  supplied  the  pulpit, 
each  one  about  an  equal  length  of  time,  from  1850  to  i860. 
Mr.  Williams,  although  a  young  man,  was  a  capable, 
earnest  preacher,  and  gave  perfect  satisfaction. 

Rev.  George  W.  Ryan  entered  upon  the  labors  of 
pastor  of  this  church  in  i860,  and  continued  about  three 
years.     Mr.  Ryan  took  considerable  interest  in  education. 


BAPTISTS    AND    UNIVERSALISTS.  129 

and  served  on  the  school  committee,  in  which  office  he 
was  well  received.  The  baptist  pulpit  has  been  supplied 
at  different  times  by  the  theological  students  at  Newton, 
for  months  at  a  time. 

Rev.  Willard  P.  Upham  was  pastor  from  1867  to 
1872,  or  about  six  years.  He  was  for  a  long  time  associ- 
ated with  the  Cherokee  Indians  as  missionary  and  teacher, 
and  afterwards,  as  pastor  of  the  church  connected  with 
that  intelligent  tribe.  He  had  considerable  experience 
also  at  other  places  at  the  west.  His  pastorate  was  the 
longest  of  any  person  in  the  ministry  who  has  labored 
with  the  baptists.  Mr.  Upham  was  an  acceptable  pastor, 
a  diligent  student,  and  a  social  gentleman.  He  was  an 
invalid  for  sometime  after  leaving  this  town.  He  died  in 
1877. 

Rev.  Oren  K.  Hunt,  a  graduate  of  Newton  Theo- 
logical Seminary,  was  installed  pastor  of  this  church  in 
June,  1874,  ^^^^  ^^^  remained  until  the  spring  of  1877. 
when  he  was  followed  b}-  Rev.  William  R.  Thompson, 
who  is  the  present  pastor. 

In  looking  over  the  large  number  of  pastors  which 
this  church  has  had  during  the  half  of  a  century  of  its 
existence,  the  question  naturally  arises,  why  has  it  had  so 
many  ?  No  difficulties  have  ever  disturbed  this  church  by 
having  Kallocks  or  Beechers  for  pastors.  There  always 
has  been  extreme  unanimity  among  the  church  members, 
its  friends  and  patrons,  still  the  pastorates  of  its  ministers 
average  less  than  three  years,  which  certainly  is  at  vari- 
ance with  the  customs  of  the  fathers,  who  took  t/ie/r  minis- 
ters, like  their  wives,  " during  life."'     If  a  clergyman  has 


130  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

integrity  of  character,  piety,  learning,  and  scope  of  intel- 
lect sufficient  to  make  himself  acceptable  to  any  church 
for  three  years,  why  cannot  he  continue  to  do  so  for  tiye 
times  three  years  ? 

The  records  of  the  baptist  church  are  so  meagre  and 
incomplete,  that  it  is  impossible  to  giye  as  many  facts  and 
dates  as  are  desirable.  From  the  time  of  its  formation  to 
the  present,  it  has  annually  been  in  receipt  of  pecuni- 
ary aid  from  the  same  society,  which,  in  1827,  placed  Mr. 
Dean  in  the  missionary  field. 

The  Universalist  Restoration  Society,  at  West  To\yn- 
send,  was  organized  March  4th,  1848.  The  first  disciples 
of  Murray,  at  this  yillage,  howeyer,  had  enjoyed  meetings 
for  nearl}'  ten  years,  preyious  to  that  time.  During  the 
year  1839,  Rev.  John  Pierce,  a  native  of  Lunenburg, 
was  invited  to  preach  to  this  society.  This  youthful  min- 
ister supplied  the  pulpit  here  on  alternate  sabbaths  for 
more  than  a  year.  He  was  a  ready,  extemporaneous 
speaker,  agreeable  in  his  person,  and  rather  attractive  in 
his  manner  of  address.  He  died  the  next  year,  of  con- 
sumption, much  lamented  b}^  his  friends  and  the  denomi- 
nation with  which  he  was   connected. 

At  the  time  this  society  was  organized,  it  was  "Voted 
to  take  measures  to  build  a  meeting-house,''  and  chose  a 
"committee  of  eleven  to  carry  the  same  into  effect."  Chose 
Zimri  Sherwin,  Stephen  Dyer,  Benjamin  Barrett,  Leyi 
Sherwin,  William  Nichols,  Albert  Howe,  Joel  Kendall, 
Ebenezer  Rawson,  Luke  Wellington,  Andrews  Howe  and 
John  Whitcomb  tor  said  committee. 

At  an  adjourned  meeting  "Voted  that  the  building- 
committee  issue  one  hundred  and  twenty  shares,  at  twenty- 
ri\-e  dollars   a   share,    lor   buildino-   a   meetin<r    house,"  the 


BAPTISTS    AND    UNIVERSALISTS.  131 

committee  to  hold  those  shares  in  their  hands  as  security 
tor  their  payment.  It  was  intended  that  the  money  that 
accrued  from  the  sale  of  the  pews  should,  in  the  end,  pay 
for  a  large  portion  of  the  expense  of  building  the  meeting- 
house.    This  house  was  finished  in  1848. 

After  the  church  building  was  completed,  it  was 
ascertained  that  there  were  about  fort}'  regular  paying  fam- 
ilies of  this  society  (a  part  of  which  number  belonged  to 
Ashby),  so  that  it  was  a  comparatively  easy  matter  to 
raise  the  $400  for  a  minister's  salary.  Of  these  forty  fami- 
lies, only  a  few  are  now  among  the  people  here,  and 
many  are  not  to  be  found  among  the  living. 

This  meeting-house  was  built  b}'  Mr.  Levi  Sherwin. 
and  it  was  dedicated  January  25,  1849.  Rev.  Stillman 
Clark,  of  East  Jaffrey,  New  Hampshire,  preached  an  ap- 
propriate sermon,  which  was  well  received  bv  a  full  house. 

There  never  was  a  universalist  church,  which  wor- 
shipped in  this  building,  but  in  its  stead  "The  Universalist 
Restoration  Societ}-."  The  Rev.  Stillman  Clark  was 
the  first  pastor  of  this  society.  He  was  here  at  first,  about 
a  year,  when  Rev.  Varnum  Lincoln  succeeded  him  for 
about  two  years,  when  Mr.  Clark  returned  and  supplied 
the  pulpit  for  a  year  or  more.  Both  of  these  pastors  were 
acceptable  preachers,  and  both  of  them  were  honored  by 
the  town  with  seats  on  the  board  of  school  committee. 

In  1853,  this  society  employed  a  man  b}'  the  name 
of  R.  J.  Chapman,  who  remained  here  for  nearly  two 
years,  before  the  wolf  in  sheep's  clothing  was  discovered. 

In  June,  1855,  Rev.  C.  C.  Clark  was  settled  as  pastor 
over  this  restorationist  societv.    This  engagement  continued 


132  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

four  years.  After  being  absent  in  Pennsylvania  until  1863, 
he  returned  to  West  Townsend,  and  again  preached  for 
the  same  society,  about  two  years  and  a  half,  when  the 
connection  closed  by  mutual  consent.  During  all  this 
time,  to  the  present  (1877),  Mr.  Clark  has  kept  his  home 
in  West  Townsend,  where  he  now  resides  with  his  com- 
panion, who  has  been  a  faithtu  help-meet  through  all  the 
trials  and  struggles  of  a  ministry  of  thirty-five  years. 

Since  the  close  of  Mr.  Clark's  pastorate,  there  has 
been  no  preaching  for  the  universalist  society,  except  at 
two  or  three  different  times  during  the  holidays  :  yet  the 
people  who  constituted  this  society,  who  are  still  among 
the  living,  consider  that  their  is  much  more  liberality 
among  other  denominations,  than  there  was  twenty-eight 
years  ago,  when  the  Universalist  Restoration  Society,  in 
West  Townsend,  was  tbunded. 


CHAPTER  V. 

MEE  TING-HO  USES. 

The  Fii-st  Meeting-house  and  its  Location — "Pew  Ground" — ••  Seatinj*' 
the  Meeting-house  "* — Controversy  about  the  Location  of  the 
Second  Meeting-house — Memoirs  of  John  Hale.  Oliver  Prescott 
and  John  Dunsmoor,  the  Committee  Chosen  to  Locate  this  House 
— Names  of  the  Pew  Holders  in  the  Second  Meeting-house- 
Action  of  the  Town  in  Regard  to  Moving  the  Second  Meeting- 
house to  its  Present  Location  at  the  Central  Village— Tlie  First 
Bell  in  Town— The  Congregational  Meeting-house— The  Baptist 
Meeting-house. 

It  has  been  heretofore  mentioned,  that  the  settlers  did 
not  strictly  conform  to  the  terms  of  the  grant  of  17 19,  in 
several  particulars.  The  ''convenient  house  for  the  Wor- 
ship of  God"  was  not  built  either  at  Turkey  Hills  (Lunen- 
burg), or  at  The  North  Town,  until  nearly  ten  vears  alter 
these  two  towns  were  granted.  The  condition  was  that 
meeting-houses  shovild  be  built  within  four  vears  from  the 
date  of  the  grant. 

In  September,  1728,  the  town  of  Lunenburg  voted 
to  raise  the  sum  of  £200  ($88.88)  for  building  and  finish- 
ing a  meeting-house,  "so  far  as  it  will  do  or  answer  there- 
Ibr."  In  1 73 1,  a  pulpit  and  "a  body  of  sects"  were  built  in 
this  house,  which  was  tbrty-hve  feet  long  and  t]iirt\'-five 
feet  wide. 


134  HISTORY    OF*  TOWNSEND. 

The  Townsend  records  of  this  period  are  lost,  but 
from  this  account  of  the  transactions  in  Lunenburg,  it  may 
be  inferred  that  our  house  of  worship  was  of  similar  size 
and  value.  It  was  a  mere  shell.  The  amount,  £15,  which 
the  proprietors  voted  to  raise,  to  "ease  the  hard  bargain" 
of  the  contractors,  when  reduced  to  federal  money,  is  only 
about  $3.90,  from  which  fact  it  may  be  inferred  that  the 
meeting-house  in  Townsend  could  not  have  been  very 
expensive.  Money  was  quite  scarce  at  that  time,  and 
most  business  was  transacted  by  barter  trades. 

As  has  been  shown  by  Samuel  Danforth's  report  to  the 
Great  and  General  Court,  our  meeting-house  was  erected 
before  1730,  so  that  both  of  these  towns  erected  houses  of 
worship  at  about  the  same  time. 

The  first  meeting-house  in  Townsend  was  located  on 
the  summit  of  the  hill,  about  a  mile  easterly  of  the  com- 
mon at  the  centre  of  the  town,  on  the  west  side  of  the 
road  leading  over  the  hill,  in  the  extreme  northeast  corner 
of  land,  now  enclosed  at  that  part,  by  stone  walls,  with 
the  parsonage  left  by  Lieut.  Amos  Whitney.  A  portion 
of  the  land  that  was  the  town's  common  when  this  house 
was  built,  is  now  enclosed  with  the  parsonage  farm  at  that 
cornfer,  and  some  of  the  coarser  stones  of  the  foundation  of 
this  house,  may  now  be  seen  in  the  walls  at  that  place. 

It  is  a  singular  circumstance,  that  there  never  were 
more  than  two  or  three  frame  houses  on  this  hill,  near  the 
spot  which  the  town  had  selected  for  its  religious  and 
municipal  centre. 

The  prospect,  from  this  stand-point,  is  exceedingly 
beautiful  and  picturesque.  Large  portions  of  the  towns  of 
Lunenburg  and  Groton  at  the  south  and  southeast,  with  the 
steeples,  landscapes  and  white  farm-houses   of   these    old 


MEETING-HOUSES.  135 

towns  ;  together  with  the  hills  and  mountain  slopes,  at  the 
west  and  northwest,  dotted  over  with  dwellings,  fields  and 
forests,  all  present  a  charming  panorama.  This  location 
must  have  had  peculiar  attractions  for  our  ancestors,  as 
this  house  of  worship  was  placed  more  than  two  miles 
from  the  centre  of  the  town  as  it  was  incorporated. 

A  pulpit  and  some  body  seats  were  made  in  this  house 
soon  after  the  church  was  gathered.  In  February,  1735, 
the  "pew  ground"  was  laid  out.  and  the  committee  ap- 
pointed to  do  this  work  ''Being  again  meet  together 
prefered  men  to  their  pitches  as  followeth." 

Then  follow  the  names  of  the  most  prominent  men  of 
the  town,  "Capt.  John  Stevens"  being  the  first  name 
recorded.  The  following  extract  from  the  record  will 
sufficiently  explain  the  language  above  quoted  : — 

"Voted  that  the  rule  that  the  committee  chosen  to  lay 
out  the  pew  ground  in  the  meeting-house  in  Townshend 
shall  be  as  follows  (viz)  that  they  shall  prefer  those  per- 
sons in  said  town  to  their  choice  of  pew  ground,  that  have 
paid  the  most  towards  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel,  in  said 
town,  and  towards  building  the  meeting-house." 

For  about  half  a  century  after  the  town  was  chartered, 
a  committee  was  chosen,  at  each  annual  town  meeting, 
in  March,  to  seat  the  meeting-house,  sometimes  called 
"dignifying  the  meeting-house."  Two  rows  of  long,  plain 
benches,  with  an  aisle  in  the  centre  leading  from  the  pulpit 
to  the  front  of  the  house,  and  passage  wavs  around  the 
walls  of  the  building,  constituted  the  seating  accommoda- 
tions of  the  ground  floor  of  the  first  meeting-house. 

The  seats  nearest  to  the  minister  were  considered  the 
most  eligible.     The  "committee  chosen  to  lay  out  the  pew 


13()  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

ground"  at  that  time  was  the  committee  chosen  to  seat  the 
meeting-house.  Several  times,  the  town  instructed  their 
committee  in  the  manner  the  house  was  to  be  seated. 

Persons  who  paid  the  most  towards  preaching  were 
allowed  "the  uppermost  seats  in  the  synagogue."  The 
selectmen,  deacons  of  the  church,  and  other  officers  of 
acknowledged  rank,  generally  had  the  first  seats.  A  town 
in  this  vicinity  "Voted  that  the  committee  be  instructed  to 
seat  the  meeting-house  according  to  quality." 

From  this  it  may  be  inferred  that  even  in  the  days  of 
the  puritans,  there  w-as  an  aristocracy ;  tor  this  word 
"quality"  signified  nothing  else  except  the  degree  of  wealth 
and  good  clothes  which  these  worshippers  possessed.  So 
far  as  the  apparel  was  concerned,  this  was  a  good  rule 
according  to  the  maxim,  "cleanliness  is  next  to  Godliness." 

The  custom  of  leaving  the  meeting-house  in  those 
days,  and  long  afterwards,  was  quite  commendable.  After 
the  benediction,  the  minister  would  walk  out  of  the  house, 
gracefully  bowing  to  the  people  on  both  sides  of  the  aisle, 
hat  in  hand,  all  remaining  standing ;  then  the  deacons 
would  follow  their  pastor,  and  after  they  had  passed  nearly 
out  the  congregation  would  quietly  leave  without  any  noise 
or  confusion.  It  is  said  that  this  practice  had  its  origin  from 
the  fact  that  the  people  regarded  it  as  a  matter  of  disrespect 
to  turn  their  backs  upon  the  clergy.  However  this  might 
have  been,  the  exits  of  these  congregations  w^ould  strike 
any  orderly  person  much  more  favorably,  than  the  present 
careless  and  jostling  manner  in  which  our  churches  are 
vacated  at  the  close  of  service. 

The  folloNving  extracts  from  the  town  records  will 
show  that  this  house  was  rude  in  the  extreme,  and  never 
finished.     A  building  of  this  kind  would  not  well  comport 


MEETING-HOUSES.  187 

with  our  ideas  of  a  church  edifice  ;  but  considering  that 
this  was  the  first  building  in  town  that  was  covered  with 
sawed  lumber,  all  of  which  was  brought  from  Groton.  and 
the  scanty  means  and  small  number  of  inhabitants  the 
town  contained  one  hundred  and  forty-six  years  ago,  it 
may  be  fairly  supposed,  that  this  house  was  the  result  of 
an  extraordinary  effort. 

In  May,  175 1,  "Secondly,  voted  to  finish  two  seats 
round  in  the  gallery  and  place  two  pillars  under  the  galler}" 
sills.  Thirdly,  voted  to  choose  a  committee  of  three  men 
to  finish  the  same." 

In  1753,  "Voted  to  sell  the  pew  ground  in  the  southeast 
corner  of  the  meeting-house  at  a  vandue  ;  the  same  being 
sold  to  John  Stevens  Jun'".  :  he  being  the  highest  bidder, 
for  twenty  pounds  old  tenor." 

In  1759,  or  about  thirty  years  after  the  house  was 
built,  "Voted  to  grant  the  ground  where  the  platform  is 
now  laid  in  the  front  gallery  of  the  meeting-house,  to 
Jonathan  Patt  and  others  to  build  a  pew  on,  provided  they 
build  the  same  and  seal  up  the  four  side  of  the  meeting- 
house between  the  stairs  up  to  the  plait  b}-  the  first  of 
September  next." 

In  1763,  a  window  was  made  back  of  the  pulpit,  and 
at  the  same  town  meeting  which  ordered  the  window. 
"Voted  to  give  Capt.  Daniel  Taylor  and  Lieut.  Emerv 
£6  13s.  4d.  to  lath  and  plaster  and  whitewash  the  meeting- 
house overhead."     Rescinded  this  vote  in  1769. 

In  1768,  "Voted  to  give  liberty  to  William  Stevens  and 
others  petitioners  with  him  to  build  a  pew  in  the  meeting- 
house over  the  mens  stairs." 

The  men  occupied  the  west  gallery  and  the  women 
the  east,  hence  "the  mens  stairs."       It  thus    appears   that 


188  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

this  tirst  meeting-house  was  never  finished.  There  was  no 
ceiling  or  plastering  overhead,  and  but  little  of  either  kind 
of  finish  on  the  inner  walls.  At  this  time  the  house 
needed  considerable  repairs  and  was  too  small  to  accom- 
modate the  congregation  that  went  to  hear  the  sound  of  the 
gospel  as  proclaimed  by  Rev.  Mr.  Dix,  so  that  in  May, 
1769,  the  town  "Voted  to  build  a  new  meeting-house 
within  thirty  feet  north  of  the  old  one  if  that  will  accom- 
modate better." 

Previous  to  the  time  that  it  was  found  necessary  to 
build  a  new  meeting-house,  there  was  complete  unanimity 
among  the  people  of  Townsend.  The  combativeness  of 
its  citizens  had  nearly  spent  itself,  in  the  controversy  with 
Dunstable  about  the  dividing  line,  but  at  this  period  con- 
siderable feeling,  among  themselves,  was  manifested  in 
regard  to  the  location  of  the  new  meeting-house.  The 
south  part  of  the  town  wanted  the  house  to  be  located  on 
the  southerly  side  of  the  hill,  near  the  parsonage,  while 
the  north  part  were  anxious  to  have  it  at  the  north  side  of 
the  hill,  near  the  burying  ground  ;  others  thought  that  the 
new  house  should  be  located  where  the  old  one  stood. 

From  May  to  October,  1769,  the  merits  of  these  two 
chosen  places  were  discussed  quite  freely  and  with  consid- 
erable excitement.  There  was  about  an  equal  number  on 
each  side,  and  finding  it  almost  impossible  to  agree  upon 
a  site  upon  which  to  build  their  meeting-house,  it  was 
decided  to  refer  the  matter  to  three  disinterested  men,  and 
their  decision  was  to  be  final  and  binding  in  every  particu- 
lar. 

October  12,  1769,  "Voted  to  choose  a  committee  of 
three  men  to  state  the  place  where  a  new  meeting-house 
shall  be ;  whether  at  or  near  where  the  old  meeting-house 


MEETING-HOUSES.  139 

now  Stands  or  at  either  of  the  places  that  shall  be  ap- 
pointed by  the  north  or  south  part  of  inhabitants  of  said 
town,  on  said  meeting  house  hill.  Chosen  for  said  com- 
mittee John  Heald  Esq.  of  Hollis,  Doctor  Prescott  of 
Groton  and  Doctor  Densmore  of  Lunenburg." 

This  meeting  adjourned  till  October  31st,  when  the 
committee  of  doctors,  who  healed  this  fracture,  appeared 
and  submitted  the  following  report,  which  was  accepted 
and  adopted  : — 

"The  subscribers,  a  committee  appointed  by  the  inhabi- 
tants of  the  Town  of  Townshend  at  a  legal  town  meeting 
holden  October  12,  1769  for  the  purpose  within  mentioned, 
have  this  day  attended  upon  the  business,  and  having  full}- 
heard  all  parties  concerned,  and  duly  considered  of  the 
affair,  are  of  the  opinion  that  it  will  be  most  ornamental 
for  the  Town,  and  most  convenient  for  the  inhabitants 
thereof,  to  set  the  front  sill  of  the  new  meeting  house, 
sixteen  feet  from  the  back  sill  of  the  old  meedng  house,  or 
thereabouts,  which  we  submit  to  said  town  for  their  ac- 
ceptance. 

"Townshend  Oct.  31,  1769 

John  Hale  ^ 

Oliver  Prescott  >  Committee" 

John  Dunsmoor      ) 

It  would  appear  on  the  face  of  this  report,  that  the 
removal  of  the  location  only  sixteen  feet,  needed  some 
explanation.  A  flat,  broad  ledge,  of  the  peculiar  kind  ot 
rock  on  this  hill,  cropped  out  just  at  the  front  of  the  old 
meedng-house,  over  which  the  travel  had  passed  for  more 
than  forty  years.  The  slight  difference  of  sixteen  feet 
would  leave  the  ledge  in  the  form  of  a  terrace  in  front  of 
the  new  meeting-house.     This   also  explains  the  language 


140  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

of  the  record,  "Voted  to  build  a  new  meeting-house  within 
thirty  feet  north  of  the  old  one,  if  that  will  accommodate 
better." 

It  may  be  interesting  to  know  who  these  men  were 
who  chose  this  location,  and  in  whom  the  good  people  of 
Townsend  placed  such  unreserved  confidence.  The 
tbllowing  memoir  of  John  Hale  is  from  Kidder's  History  of 
the  First  New  Hampshire  Continental  Regiment : — 

John  Hale  was  in  early  life  settled  in  Hollis,  New 
Hampshire,  as  a  physician.  In  1755,  he  was  surgeon's 
mate  in  Col.  Blanchard's  First  New  Hampshire  regiment, 
in  an  expedition  to  Crown  Point  against  the  French,  and 
in  1758,  was  surgeon  in  Col.  Hart's  regiment,  which  was 
at  the  Crown  Point  expedition  of  that  vear.  In  1768,  he 
was  representative  to  the  Legislature  from  the  associated 
towns  of  Hollis  and  Dunstable,  and  at  the  beginning  of 
the  Revolution,  he  was  colonel  of  a  regiment  of  militia, 
composed  of  soldiers  from  Hollis  and  the  adjoining  towns. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  convention  that  sat  at  Exeter,  in 
April,  1775,  and  assisted  in  inaugurating  the  measures  to 
organize  the  regiments  that  fought  at  Bunker  Hill,  and 
was  also  in  the  field  a  large  part  of  that  year.  His  sister 
(Abigail  Hale,)  was  the  wife  of  Col.  Prescott,  the  hero  of 
Bunker  Hill,  and  as  their  residences  were  only  three  miles 
apart,  their  intercourse  was  frequent  and  always  friendly. 
During  1775  and  1776,  he  was  much  engaged  in  aiding  the 
cause  by  raising  soldiers  as  well  as  assisting  in  the  councils 
of  the  State.  On  the  re-organization  of  the  First  New 
Hampshire  Regiment  he  was  appointed  surgeon,  and 
entered  on  his  duty  May  8,  1777.  It  is  supposed  that  most 
of  the  regiment  was  then  at  Ticonderoga,  or  on   the   way 


MEETING-HOUSES.  141 

there.  He  was  with  the  regiment,  through  the  campaigns 
and  battles  of  that  year  and  the  next,  and  in  the  expedition 
to  the  Indian  country  in  1779.  Resigned  June  nth,  1780. 
Returning  home  his  influence  was  exerted  in  raising  men 
and  means  till  the  end  of  the  war.  He  was  often  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Legislature.  He  was  distinguished  as  a  physi- 
cian and  had  a  large  practice. 

The  following  is  the  inscription   on   his  tombstone   at 
Hollis  :— 

ERECTED     TO     THE     MEMORY     OF 

DOCTOR  JOHN  HALE. 

Who  was  born  Oct.   24,  1731, 
And  died  Oct.   22,    1791. 


"How  soon  our  new-born  light  attains  full  aged 
And  then  how  soon  the  gray  haired  night. 
We  spring,  we  bud,  we  blossom  and  we  blast, 
Ere  we  can  count  our  days,  they  fly  so  fast." 


Oliver  Prescott  was  the  son  of  Hon.  Benjamin 
Prescott,  who  has  been  partially  sketched  in  another  part 
of  this  work,  born  at  Groton,  1731,  and  was  graduated  at 
Harvard  College,  1750.  He  settled  in  Groton,  and  was 
a  pracdcal  physician  in  that  town  lor  nearh'  half  a  centurv. 
He  was  very  successful  and  popular  in  that  profession. 
For  the  period  of  thirteen  years  he  was  town  clerk  of 
Groton.  He  held  many  civil  offices.  He  was  appointed  by 
the  King  major  in  the  militia,  then  lieutenant-colonel  and 
colonel.  When  the  revolutionary  war  broke  out  he  espoused 
the  cause  of  freedom,  and  early  in  the   vear  1776.  he  was 


142  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

appointed  brigadier-general,  and  he  mustered  and  or- 
ganized the  miHtia  of  Middlesex  county.  His  judgment 
on  military  matters  was  very  valuable  at  that  time.  In 
1778,  he  was  appointed  the  third  major-general  of  the 
militia  throughout  the  commonwealth.  In  1799  he  received 
the  appointment  of  Judge  of  Probate  for  the  count}'  of 
Middlesex,  which  office  he  held  until  his  death  in  1804. 
He  was  the  most  influential  man  in  this  vicinity  and  well 
worthy  of  being  a  brother  of  the  hero  of  Bunker  Hill. 
He  was  learned  without  ostentation,  popular  without  being 
a  demagogue,  and  extremely  prepossessing  in  his  appear- 
ance, apparently  without  knowing  it. 

John  Dunsmoor  was  born  in  Scotland,  in  1720.  He 
had  some  of  the  advantages  of  the  literary  institutions  of 
his  native  country,  but  probably  neither  his  culture  in 
general,  or  his  preparation  in  particular,  lor  the  profession 
of  his  choice,  entitled  him  to  a  high  rank.  A  correspon- 
dent says  of  him  :  "He  was  a  remarkable  man."  He  came 
to  this  country  in  his  early  manhood,  and  soon  after  settled 
in  Lunenburg,  where  he  resided  till  his  death,  in  1794. 
He  possessed  excellent  natural  abilities,  joined  with  a  good 
amount  of  perseverance.  He  was  very  eccentric  withal, 
and  occasionally  put  on  a  rough  deportment  almost  repul- 
sive. He  had  a  large  practice  and  was  considered  not 
only  a  verv  skilful  physician  but  a  good  surgeon. 

Mav  28,  1770,  "Voted  to  choose  a  committee  to  carry 
on  the  aflair  of  raising  the  new  meeting-house.  Voted 
that  this  committee  be  directed  to  provide  jins  and  roaps 
nesesarv  for  the  same,  also  to  choose  such  hands  to  raise 
the  same  as  they  think  proper,  and  to  make  suitable  pro- 
visions for  their  entertainment,  and  to  provide  some  person 


MEETING-HOUSES.  143 

that  can  splise  roaps  if  they  brake,  all  at  the  towns  cost. 
Voted  that  the  committee  find  licker  Monday  and  Tuesday 
at  the  towns  cost." 

This  house  was  finished  so  far  that  it  was  occupied 
during  the  latter  part  of  1771.  Among  the  list  of  baptisms 
by  Rev.  Mr.  Dix,  this  is  recorded:  "Oct.  27,  1771,  Bap- 
tized Gains,  son  of  Eleazer  Spaulding,  in  y*^  new  meeting 
house." 

This  is  the  only  instance  where  any  meeting  or  cere- 
mony is  represented  as  having  occurred  in  the  new  meeting- 
house. This  edifice  was  a  great  improvement  on  the  house 
for  which  it  was  substituted,  it  being  amply  capacious  for 
the  population  of  the  town,  which,  according  to  the  colonial 
census  of  1770,  contained  about  seven  hundred  inhabitants. 
The  precaution  in  regard  to  raising  this  building  was 
timely  and  judicious,  considering  the  heavy  square  timber 
used  in  the  frame  thereof,  some  of  which  may  now  be  seen 
beneath  the  roof  of  the  old  meeting-house  on  the  common. 
This  house  was  clapboarded,  and  the  window,  and  door 
frames  and  the  doors,  were  painted  on  the  outside  during 
the  summer  of  1771. 

October  20,  1772,  "Voted  that  those  persons  who 
purchased  the  pews  on  the  lower  floor  of  the  meeting 
house,  should  have  their  names  recorded  on  the  town 
book,  and  the  number  of  the  pew  they  drawed,  which 
stands  in  course  as  they  drawed  them." 

It  appears  that  thirty-five  citizens  shared  equally  in  the 
expense  of  making  as  man}-  pews  on  the  ground  floor  of 
this  house,  and  in  regard  to  a  choice  in  them,  the  owners 
agreed  to  decide  the  matter  by  "casting  lots."  Consider- 
ing that  these  men  were  the  "solid  men"  of  Townsend, 
one  hundred  years  ago,  and  that  their  descendants  con- 
stitute quite  a  number  of  the  inhabitants   of  this   town  at 


144 


HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 


the  present  time,  it  has  been   considered  in   good  taste   to 
copy  their  names  and  titles  as  they  are  on  record  : — 


Lieut 

.  Amos  Whitney    No 

.    I 

Oliver  Hildreth  No 

.19 

John  Conant 

2 

James  Waugh 

■  20 

Capt. 

Daniel  Taylor 

3 

James  Sloan            " 

21 

Israel  Hobart          " 

4  Ens. 

Wm. Richardson     " 

'  22 

Daniel  Adams        " 

5 

James  Hosley         " 

■  23 

Benjamin  Brooks  " 

6 

William  Smith        " 

•  24 

David  Spafford      " 

7 

Isaac  Wallis            " 

•  25 

William  Clark        " 

8  Ens. 

Isaac  Farrar            " 

•  26 

Robert  Campbell  " 

9 

Jeremiah  Ball 

•  27 

Lieut 

.  Zacheriah  Emery  "• 

lO 

Zebediah  Wallis    - 

•  28 

Oliver  Proctor        " 

II 

John  Waugh           " 

•  29 

Timothy  Davis       " 

12 

Lemuel  Patts          " 

•  30 

Jonathan  Wallis     " 

13  Maj 

.  Henry  Price* 

■  31 

Isaac  Spalding       " 

H 

Samuel  Wesson     " 

■  32 

Lieut 

.  Ephraim  Heald      " 

15 

Thomas  Reed 

'  33 

Sarah  Conant         " 

i6 

James  Stevens,  Jr.' 

'  34 

Lieut 

.  Benjamin  Brooks  '' 
Uriah  Sartell           " 

17 
i8 

Joseph  Balding 

•  35 

In  May,  i'J^3-,  "Put  to  vote  to  see  if  the  town  will 
alter  the  deacons'  seat  in  the  meeting  house  and  it  past  in 
the  Negative."  At  a  town  meeting  the  next  October, 
"Voted  to  provide  handsome  door  stones  for  the  meeting 
house,  and  chose  a  committee  to  do  the  same." 

This  second  meeting-house  was  at  this  time  finished 
in  a  manner  well  adapted  to  the  wants  of  the  town.  It 
was  about  the  same  style,  both  in  architecture  and  finish, 
as  were  most  of  the  New  England  church  buildings  of  that 
period.  Within  its  consecrated  w^ills,  the  followers  of 
the  Master  worshipped,  the  citizens  devised  plans  to  meet 
all  the   wants   of    the   town    in   its    corporate    capacity,  the 


'First  Deputy  Grand  Master  of  Masons  in  Ameri 


MEETING-HOUSES.  145 

training  band  assembled  to  organize  and  listen  to  the 
reading  ot'  the  militia  law,  the  "committee  of  safety"  held 
consultations,  the  selectmen  discussed  their  duties,  and 
the  smouldering  patriotism  of  an  oppressed  people  burst 
into  a  flame. 

This  house  was  the  Faneuil  Hall  of  Townsend.  Dur- 
ing the  war  of  the  revolution,  our  continental  soldiers,  with 
dark  forebodings,  turned  back  in  their  outward  journey,  to 
take  a  last  look  at  this  structure,  endeared  to  them  by 
tender  associations ;  and  after  long  years  of  anxiety  and 
suspense,  after  many  eyes  had  been  made  tearful  by  the 
loss  of  brothers,  husbands  and  lathers,  who  never  returned  : 
when  the  news  of  victory  came,  what  sincere  gratitude  to 
the  God  of  battles,  whxit  songs  of  thanksgiving  and  praise 
ascended  from  the  altar  in  this  humble  sanctuarv. 

Through  the  year  1797,  considerable  dislike  was 
manifested  towards  the  uncentrical  location  of  this  meeting- 
house ;  besides,  the  house  itself  needed  some  repairs.  The 
expense  of  maintaining  a  road  over  the  ledges  and  steep 
grades  of  meeting-house  hill,  was  an  objection  that  had  an 
influence  with  many.  In  some  seasons  there  was  no  water 
to  be  obtained  at  or  very  near  the  summit  of  this  hill. 

In  March,  1798,  an  article  was  inserted  in  the  war- 
rant calling  a  town  meeting,  in  the  following  words  :  "7th. 
To  see  if  the  town  will  find  the  centre  of  their  town  and 
say  where  their  meeting  house  ought  to  stand." 

It  ma}'  be  presumed  from  this  record,  that  there  was  at 
that  time  considerable  conversation  about  a  new  meeting- 
house. At  the  meeting  of  the  town,  this  article  was  passed 
over,  but  this  action  of  the  town  did  not  stop  the  current  in 
favor  of  a  new  meeting-house.  From  this  time  till  1803. 
for  more  than  five   years,   when   the   moving   of    the   old 


14()  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

meeting-house  and  making  of  a  new  one  was  finally 
agreed  upon,  the  town  met  at  thirteen  different  times  to 
deliberate  upon  the  subject,  several  of  these  meetings 
however,  were  adjourned  meetings.  The  particular  diffi- 
culty in  the  way,  and  what  was  most  discussed  was  the 
disposal  of  the  pews  in  the  old  meeting-house,  or  rather 
how  much  the  old  pew  should  go  towards  a  new  one  in  the 
contemplated  house. 

In  October,  1799,  "The  town  voted  to  find  a  suitable 
place  near  the  centre  of  the  town  for  the  meeting-house  to 
stand  on,  by  taking  an  actual  survey  of  the  town  and  travel 
collectively  ;  having  due  respect  to  the  lands  unsettled, 
which  by  its  quality  may  become  inhabited  in  future  time," 
and  chose  a  committee  for  that  object  and  purpose. 

This  committee  consisting  of  sixteen  citizens  of  which 
Jonathan  Wallis  was  chairman,  reported  the  next  month, 
recommending  the  spot  where  this  house  now  stands  at  the 
centre  of  the  town,  for  the  location  of  their  new  meeting- 
house. The  chairman  and  three  others  of  this  committee 
were  of  the  number  who,  in  1772,  drew  lots  for  their  pews 
in  the   house  about  to  be  removed. 

The  town  at  different  times  while  the  matter  was 
under  consideration,  passed  votes  and  then  rescinded 
them,  chose  committees  but  refused  to  listen  to  their  sug- 
gestions, debated  the  subject  both  in  public  and  in  private, 
agreed  to  a  certain  style  of  architecture,  but  afterwards 
altered  it,  and  "agreed  to  disagree,"  until  midwinter  of 
1804,  when  the  job  was  let  out,  to  Messrs.  Moses  and 
Aaron  Warren,  to  move  and  finish  this  second  meeting- 
house of  Townsend,  into  the  third  meeting-house  in  town, 
to  be  completed  during  the  year  1804.  The  building  com- 
mittee reported  that  the  house  should  have  three   porches. 


MEETING-HOUSES.  147 

but  subsequently,  January  6,  1804,  "Voted  to  build  a 
belfry  and  a  suitable  place  to  hang  a  bell  according  to  a 
former  vote  of  the  town  in  lieu  of  a  porch,  on  condition 
that  there  shall  be  money  subscribed,  sufficient  to  purchase 
a  bell." 

Previous  to  the  removal  there  was  considerable  talk 
about  enlarging  this  house,  but  it  was  finally  agreed  to  re- 
move it,  set  up  and  renovate  it,  without  any  enlargement, 
except  the  porches. 

This  house  is  sixty  feet  in  length  and  forty-five  feet  in 
width.  It  was  "situated  due  east  and  west,"  in  its  new 
location,  the  belfry  on  the  west  end,  a  porch  on  the  east 
end  and  a  porch  on  the  south  side.  Above  the  entrance 
on  the  south  porch  were  the  gilded  letters.  "Built  1804." 
There  were  three  entrances,  one  at  each  end  and  one  in 
front.  The  pulpit  was  on  the  north  side  of  the  house, 
opposite  the  front  door,  a  broad  aisle  extending  from  one 
to  the  other,  dividing  the  ground  floor  of  the  house  into 
two  equal  parts.  There  was  also  an  aisle  surrounding  the 
house,  next  to  the  wall  pews.  There  were  two  entrances  to 
the  galleries  by  flights  of  stairs,  one  in  the  east  porch,  and 
the  other  in  the  belfry  at  the  west  end.  The  galleries  were 
well  supported  by  large  turned  pillars.  There  was  a  row 
of  wall  pews,  twenty-four  in  number,  surrounding  the 
house  both  above  and  below.  They  were  not  like  the 
sloping,  sofa-like  slips  now  in  fashion,  but  were  about  six 
feet  square  ;  the  walls  were  high  and  had  a  railing  around 
the  top,  supported  by  nicely  turned,  little,  hard-wood  bal- 
usters, fitted  into  round  holes  both  at  the  top  and  the 
bottom,  which  on  the  slightest  touch  would  revolve  and 
squeak  like  a  nest  of  young  mice.  A  row  of  uncushioned 
seats  surrounded  the  interior  of  these  pews,  and  often  a 
flag-bottomed  chair  was  place  in  the  centre  thereof.     The 


148  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

seats  were  hung  by  hinges  so  that  they  might  be  turned 
up  as  the  congregation  rose  for  prayers  ;  and  at  the  close 
of  the  invocation  they  were  carelessly  let  down  witli  a 
noise  similar  to  an  irregular  volley  of  small-arms.  Over 
the  stairs,  at  the  west  end,  were  the  seats  for  the  negroes, 
the  small  remnant  of  the  race  that  were  here  at  the  com- 
mencement of  the  present  century.  The  singers  had  the 
front  of  the  gallery  opposite  the  pulpit,  which  was  lofty, 
finished  with  curious  panel  work  and  mouldings.  "The 
pulpit  had  a  recess  or  rostrum  in  which  the  speaker  stood  ; 
behind  him  was  a  curtainless  arched  wundow^ ;  above  him 
was  a  curious  canopy,  about  six  feet  in  diameter,  re- 
sembling in  form  a  turnip  cut  in  two  transversely.  It  was 
called  a  sounding-board,  and  hung  near  the  speaker's 
head,  by  a  slender  iron  rod  from  the  ceiling,  so  slender 
as  to  have  excited  apprehensions  and  speculatipns  in  many 
a  youthful  mind  as  to  the  probability  of  its  falling  ;  and 
beneath  him  in  front  of  the  pulpit,  were  the  deacons'  seats 
in  a  sort  of  pen,  where  they  sat  facing  the  congregation, 
with  the  communion  table  hanging  by  hinges  in  front  of 
them." 

It  must  not  be  forgotten  that  this  house,  for  more  than  a 
quarter  of  a  century  from  the  time  of  its  erection,  was  well 
tilled  with  attentive  listeners,  coming  from  all  parts  of  the 
town,  at  each  returning  sabbath.  Moses  Warren,  the  prin- 
cipal contractor  for  moving  and  renovating  this  house,  had 
just  completed  the  tavern  house  now  standing  at  the  west 
side  of  the  river  at  the  central  village,  besides  there  were 
three  or  four  dwelling-houses  and  John  Giles'  saw  and 
grist  mill  at  or  near  what  is  now  Townsend  Centre. 

Tlie  New  Hampshire  turnpike  was  finished  about  this 
time,  passing  directlv  in  Iront  of  this  church,  and  con- 
vergent town  roads  were  commenced    and  finislied   to  this 


MEETING-HOUSES.  149 

common  centre  of  the  town.  The  citizens  appreciating 
the  eligibihty  of  the  location  for  their  meeting-house,  and 
desiring  to  make  it  more  easy  of  access,  August  28,  1804, 
before  the  house  was  ready  for  occupancy,  "Voted  to  raise 
three  hundred  dollars,  to  be  worked  out  in  levelling  the 
new  common  around  the  new  meeting-house  ;  and  chose 
Lieut.  Samuel  Stone,  John  Giles  and  Ebenezer  Stone  a 
committee  to  conduct  the  same." 

In  May,  1852,  after  sectarianism  had  done  its  work, 
after  the  unitarians  had  decreased  to  a  small  number,  its 
influential  men  at  the  start  being  either  gone  or  dead, 
Charles  Powers  and  others,  in  the  interest  of  the  methodists, 
bought  this  house  from  the  unitarians,  turned  the  west  end 
of  the  same  to  the  south,  and  fitted  it  up  in  its  present 
style.  Since  that  time,  the  methodists  have  rented  the 
lower  part  of  it  to  the  town  for  a  town  hall,  and  occupied 
the  upper  part  as  an  auditorium,  in  which  thev  have 
enjoyed  an  uninterrupted  preaching  of  the  Gospel  to  the 
present  time. 

It  has  been  conceded  by  competent  judges,  that  the 
steeple,  or  tower,  on  this  edifice  has  good  architectural  pro- 
portions, and  is  as  well  adapted  to  the  main  building  as 
anything  of  the  kind  in  this  vicinit}'. 

The  first  church  bell  ever  in  Townsend,  was  obtained 
by  mone}^  subscribed  for  that  purpose,  in  the  summer  of 
1804.  The  tradition  that  a  bell  was  given  to  this  town  by 
the  Englishman  for  whom  Townsend  was  named,  and  that 
the  same  was  sold  to  pay  the  freight,  and  subsequentlv  was 
hung  on  one  of  the  Boston  churches,  is  without  doubt 
incorrect.  It  has  been  ascertained  that  the  town  of  Mason 
and  one  or  two  other  towns  have  the  same  legend ;  besides, 
if  the  town  had  been  in  expectancy  of  such  a  gift,  an  effort 

20 


150  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

would  have  been  made  to  erect  a  tower  suitable  for  its 
reception.  This  bell  came  to  this  town  soon  after  the 
second  meeting-house  was  taken  down  and  before  its  erec- 
tion where  it  now  stands,  and  it  was  stored  in  the  shed  at 
the  parsonage.  During  the  pleasant  sabbaths  of  that 
summer,  meetings  were  held  under  the  shading  elms 
easterl}^  of  the  parsonage,  and  this  bell  was  struck  to 
announce  the  hour  for  commencement  of  services. 

February  4th,  1805,  the  town  "Voted  to  pay  Hezekiah 
Richardson  $39.38  for  hanging  the  bell." 

To  the  people  of  1876  this  would  appear  to  be  an 
extravagant  charge,  from  the  fact  that  one  of  our  towns- 
men, by  the  same  name  (Mr.  Levi  Richardson),  during 
this  year  hung  three  church  bells  in  this  town  gratiiitoiislx  ; 
one  on  each  of  the  churches  at  the  Centre,  and  one  at 
West  Townsend.  The  bell  hung  b}'  the  aforesaid  Heze- 
kiah, was  cracked  in  the  year  1818,  when  a  new  bell 
weighing  about  1500  pounds  was  purchased  by  subscribers, 
the  old  one  going  in  part  to  pay  for  the  new  one.  This 
bell,  after  the  church  pi'operty,  including  the  parsonage, 
passed  into  the  hands  of  what  was  called  the  tirst  parish, 
or  the  unitarians,  was  removed  by  them  to  their  new 
meeting-house  at  the  Harbor,  and  subsequentl}-  it  was  sold 
to  pay  the  debts  of  that  society. 

From  that  time  till  1876  this  church  was  minus  a  bell, 
when  the  methodists  experiencing  a  revival  which  added 
considerably  both  to  their  spiritual  and  pecuniarv  strength, 
•  and  the  town  having  inaugurated  a  tire  department  and 
desiring  a  heavier  bell,  the  liberal  citizens  at  the  central 
village,  and  some  others,  by  subscription,  furnished  the 
money  for  the   purchase    of  the    present   bell,    which    tolls 


MEETING-HOUSES.  151 

regularly  and  gently  for  the  presence  of  the  evening  wor- 
shippers, and  occasionally  sends  forth  the  clangorous  notes 
of  alarm,  for  brave  hearts  and  willing  hands  to  subdue  the 
insatiable  element. 

The  orthodox  congregational  meeting-house  was  com- 
pleted and  dedicated  in  June,  1830.  Some  of  the  men 
who  seceded  from  the  old  church,  just  previous  to  that 
time,  possessing  a  good  amount  of  wealth,  and  not  lacking 
in  either  enterprise  or  will,  were  determined  to  have  a  first 
class  church  edifice.  With  much  unanimity  this  society 
agreed  both  on  the  location  for  their  meeting-house  and 
the  manner  in  which  it  was  to  be  built.  This  fourth 
meeting-house  of  Townsend  is  made  of  brick,  and  in  every 
particular,  is  much  superior  to  any  church  building  ever 
built  in  this  town  ;  and  it  reflects  credit  upon  the  taste  and 
good  judgment  of  the  men  who  designed  the  same  and 
furnished  the  money  with  which  it  was  erected. 

With  the  exception  of  a  change  in  the  pulpit  and  some 
internal  wall  decorations,  it  remains  substantially  the  same 
as  when  it  came  from  the  hands  of  Josiah  Sawtelle,  its 
architect  and  builder.  The  clock  in  the  tower  of  this 
church  was  presented  by  Deacon  Joel  Adams  and  Samuel 
Adams,  his  son.  A  bell  weighing  about  2000  pounds, 
purchased  by  subscription,  was  hung  on  this  house  soon 
after  it  was  finished,  which  was  in  constant  use  from  that 
time  till  1876,  when  it  was  cracked  and  another  one  was 
put  in  its  place. 

The  dme-piece,  which  graces  the  front  of  the  singers' 
gallery,  was  the  gift  of  Mrs.  Lucv  Stone,  at  a  cost  of  fifty 
dollars.  The  flagons,  cups  and  plates,  at  present  in  use 
by  this  church,  as  sacramental  furniture,  and  a  baptismal 
basin,    were    purchased   by    the    legacy    of  one    hundred 


152  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

dollars  from  Deacon  Daniel  Adams,  agreeably  to  the  terms 
of  his  will. 

The  baptist  church,  at  the  west  village,  w^as  the  fifth 
church  edifice  erected  in  Townsend.  A  committee  was 
chosen  in  the  autumn  of  1833,  consisting  of  Levi  Warren, 
Levi  Ball,  Jacob  Sanders,  Ralph  Warren,  and  Jeptha 
Cummings,  to  receive  proposals  for  building  a  meeting- 
house, sixty-four  feet  long,  forty-five  feet  wide,  with  posts 
twent}-four  feet  in  height ;  and  this  committee  closed  a 
contract,  with  Josiah  Sawtelle,  to  build  this  house,  which 
was  to  be  completed  before  October  i,  1834.  Some  devia- 
tion from  the  written  agreement,  mutually  understood, 
delayed  the  completion  of  this  house  for  nearly  two  months. 
It  was  dedicated  January  15,  1835.  A  number  of  digni- 
taries of  the  baptist  denomination,  including  three  or  four 
doctors  of  divinity,  besides  a  large  and  appreciative  audi- 
ence, were  in  attendance.  Dr.  Sharp,  of  Boston,  preached 
the  sermon,  and  Dr.  Hague,  of  that  city,  assisted  in  the 
services  on  that  occasion.  Ample  preparations  were  made 
by  the  citizens  of  the  village  for  a  sumptuous  dinner,  after 
the  dedicatory  services  were  ended,  and  at  several  tables 
in  different  parts  of  West  Townsend,  peculiarly  appetiz- 
ing spreads  were  presented  ;  and  many  visitors  and  friends 
attested  to  the  hospitality  of  the  patrons  and  members  of 
the  "First  Baptist  Society  of  Townsend." 

This  meeting-house  is  a  fac  simile  of  a  meeting-house 
that  was  in  Fitchburg,  which  so  favorably  impressed  the 
building  committee,  in  regard  to  its  proportions  and  con- 
venience, that  it  was  the  model  for  their  house.  This 
building  was  renovated  in  1873,  by  being  newly  plastered, 
painted,  and  paper-frescoed  :  a  new  pulpit,  an    appropriate 


MEETING-HOUSES.  153 

chandelier  and  side  lights,  were  inserted  at  that  time.  For 
this  improvement  the  baptist  people  are  under  special 
obligations  to  Messrs.  Edward  Ordway  and  John  M. 
Bruce,  who  solicited  the  money  for  that  purpose.  It  would 
be  difficult  to  find  fault  either  with  the  location,  the  inter- 
nal arrangements,  or  the  taste  exhibited  in  the  finish  of 
this  neat,  unostentatious  chapel. 

From  the  day  it  was  decided  to  erect  this  house  of 
worship,  to  the  present  time,  the  baptist  church  has  been 
continually  the  recipient  of  the  favors  of  the  Warren  family. 
Mr.  Levi  Warren  not  only  gave  the  land  on  which  this 
building  stands  but  he  gave  nearly  one-third  of  the  money 
required  to  build  this  house.  Mr.  Moses  Warren  gave  the 
bell,  which  was  hung  in  the  belfry  when  the  edifice  was 
completed.  Mr.  Charles  Warren*  gave  both  the  clock  on 
the  tower,  and  the  one  inside  which  hangs  in  front  of  the 
singers'  gallery.  Among  those  who  contributed  liberally 
towards  the  funds  necessary  to  build  this  house,  nine,  by 
the  name  of  Warren,  gave  freely;  and,  ever  since  that 
time,  when  the  money  needed  to  defray  the  expenses  of 
preaching  has  not  been  easily  obtained,  Levi,  Moses, 
Aaron,  Ralph,  Dorman,  and  other  Warrens,  and  those 
who  intermarried  with   the   Warrens,    have  "come  to   the 


*  Charles  Warreu  was  tlie  son  of  Tliomas  Warren.  He  amassed  a  large  fortune  in 
business,  in  Boston,  and  lost  it.  On  account  of  his  integrity,  he  was  afterwards 
appointed  agent  of  a  large  establishment  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  cotton  goods. 
During  the  war  of  the  rebellion,  he  went  out  to  Central  America,  and  engaged  m  the 
cultivation  of  cotton.  This  business  was  a  success.  While  passing  from  one  part  ot 
the  country  to  another,  in  company  of  guides,  he  was  murdered  by  them  lor  his 
money.  He  was  an  amiable,  benevolent  gentleman,  who  kindly  remembered  his  birth- 
place in  the  days  of  his  prosperity.    He  was  unmarried. 


CHAPTER  VI . 

MILITABY.   CEMETEIUES.  AND  BEQUESTS. 

"•  The  Trainiiio-  Band" — "-The  Alarm  List" — Division  of  the  Town  into 
Two  Military  Companies— The  North  Company— The  South 
Company — List  of  the  Captains  of  these  Companies— Townsend 
Light  Infantrj^ — Its  Captains— Cemeteries-Land  Given  by  AVil- 
liam  Clark— Burying  Ground  Near  the  Common  at  the  Centre 
of  the  Town— Its  Enlargement  m  1854— Gift  of  [.and  for  a  Ceme- 
tery at  West  ToAvnsend  by  Levi  Warren— The  Stocks,  an  Instru- 
ment of  Torture  to  the  Flesh— Amos  Whitney's  Will— His  Epi- 
taph. 

The  militaiy  spirit  among  the  people  of  the  province 
of  Massachusetts,  from  the  time  of  the  incorporation  of 
the  town  to  1775,  was  rather  on  the  wane.  Most  of  the 
collisions  between  the  settlers  and  the  Indians  occurred 
previous  to  1732.  There  is  no  record  concerning  any 
military  company  in  this  town,  previous  to  the  revolution- 
ary war,  w^hereas,  every  town  of  sufficient  inhabitants  had 
an  organized  military  company.  It  was  customary  in  those 
days  to  give  every  man  his  title,  civil  as  well  as  military, 
whether  he  was  addressed  orally  or  by  manuscript.  In  the 
town  records,  at  an  earh'  period,  the  names  of  Dea.  Isaac 
Spaulding,  Capt.  John  Stevens,  Lieut.  Daniel  Taylor, 
Ensign  John  Farrar  and  Ensign  Amos  Whitney,  are  of 
frequent  occurrence.     Twenty  years   afterwards,  more  or 


MILITARY,    CEMETERIES,    AND    BEQUESTS.  155 

less,  the  names  oi  Capt.  Daniel  Taylor,  and  Lieut.  Amos 
Whitney,  are  in  the  records,  which  is  sufficient  proof  that 
they  were  a  part  of  the  military  officers  of  the  town,  for  a 
long  time.  These  puritans  were  slow  in  their  movements 
in  discharging  an  officer,  as  long  as  he  was  faithful  to  his 
trust.  No  whim  or  caprice  was  allowed  to  disturb  a  cap- 
tain, a  deacon,  or  a  minister,  and  their  offices  in  man^ 
instances  ended  with  their  lives. 

It  is  impossible  to  describe,  with  any  degree  of  accu- 
racy, the  military  organizations  of  the  town  from  the 
breaking  out  of  the  revolution  to  the  commencement  of 
the  present  century.  The  "training  band"  of  the  records, 
consisted,  as  is  supposed,  of  the  robust  yeomen  of  the 
town,  able-bodied,  and  in  the  full  vigor  of  manhood,  who 
were  liable,  at  any  and  all  times,  to  be  called  to  the 
defence  of  the  province.  The  "Alarm  List"  contained  the 
names  of  persons  who  were  either  too  young  or  too  old  to 
endure  the  hardships  of  war,  but  on  an  emergency,  or  as 
a  home  guard,  could  render  efficient  service.  Persons  less 
than  eighteen  or  over  fifty  years  of  age  are  supposed  to 
have  belonged  to  the  alarm  list.  It  is  probable,  considering 
the  excitement  caused  by  the  Shay's  rebellion,  and  owing 
to  other  causes,  that  nearly  every  man  in  town  during  the 
next  ten  years,  after  the  British  troops  were  withdrawn 
from  our  borders,  was  well  acquainted  with  the  use  of  the 
flint-lock  musket. 

The  first  record  of  an}-  military  organization  was  the 
division  of  the  town,  in  order  to  have  two  militar}-  com- 
panies ;  all  persons  liable,  living  north  of  the  county  road, 
made  up  the  north  company,  and  all  south  of  that  high- 
way, the  south  company.  This  arrangement  was  observed 
till  1801,  when  the  turnpike  was  built  and  that  road  was 
made  the  dividing  line  between  the  two  companies. 


1")<!  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

The  most  prominent  men  in  town  were  selected  as 
military  officers.  Men  of  w^ealth  only  could  afford  to  hold 
a  commission,  for  all  officers  were  subject  to  considerable 
expense  to  conform  to  the  custom  of  that  period  in  furnish- 
ing liquors  for  the  men.  It  was  considered  a  great  honor 
at  that  time  to  be  dubbed  with  a  militar}-  title,  and  very 
dishonorable  in  any  officer  not  to  furnish  ardent  spirit  in 
abundance. 

The  orderW  books  of  these  two  companies,  that  of 
the  south  company,  as  early  as  1788,  and  that  of  the  north 
company,  commencing  1792,  are  still  in  good  condition, 
from  which  the  names  of  the  captains  are  taken. 

Captains  of  South  Company  : — 

William  Stevens,  from  1788  to  1790. 
Zacheriah  Hildreth,  from  1790  to  1796. 
Timothy  Fessenden,  from  1796  to  1801. 
Eliab  Going,  from  1801  to  1804. 
Hezekiah  Richardson,  from  1804  to  1807. 
William  Archibald,  from  1807  to  1810. 
Isaac  Spalding,  from  1810  to  181 2. 
James  Adams,  from  1812  to  1815. 
Isaac  Kidder,  from  1815  to  181 7. 

Captains  of  North  Company  : — 

John  Campbell,  from  1792  to  1798. 
Jonathan  Wallis,  from  1798  to  1802. 
Samuel  Brooks,  from  1802  to  1805. 
Joseph  Adams,  from  1805  to  1808. 
Walter  Hastings,  from  1808  to  181 2. 
John  Waugh,  from  181 2  to  1815. 
George  Wallace,  181 5. 

These  two  companies  were  kept  up  with  considerable 
interest  till  1817.  when  the  Townsend   Light  lnfantr\-  was 


MILITARY,    CEMETERIES,    AND    BEQUESTS.  157 

organized.  After  that  time  it  appears  that  all  soldiers  in 
town,  not  belonging  to  the  light  infantry,  were  gathered 
into  one  company.  The  records  of  this  corps  are  not  to 
be  found,  but  the  following  are  the  names  of  most,  if  not 
all,  of  the  captains  of  this  company  : — Whitney  Farmer, 
Daniel  Giles,  Samuel  Brooks,  Elnathan  Davis,  Solomon 
Jewett,  Noal  Ball,  Robert  T.  Woods,  and  Beriah  Blood. 

The  interest  in  the  militia  began  to  decrease  about  the 
time  the  temperance  cause  commenced.  Previous  to  this 
time,  the  social  principle  among  the  people  caused  the  two 
or  three  days  of  the  3'ear  devoted  to  military  duty  to  pass 
away  in  an  agreeable  manner.  Notwithstanding  the  large 
quantity  of  liquor  foolishly  used  at  that  time,  perhaps  there 
was  no  more  drunkenness  then,  than  at  present.  It  is  well, 
however,  that  a  large  portion  of  the  citizens  of  the  town, 
gave  up  painting  their  faces  and  commenced  painting  their 
dwellings. 

In  1837,  ^  ^^^""^  ^^'^^  enacted  making  all  military  duty 
voluntary,  which  set  aside  all  the  uniformed  companies. 
Many  considered  the  expense  of  the  system  as  unneces- 
sary. It  grew  unpopular  from  many  causes.  The  clergy 
preached  against  it ;  peace  societies  were  formed  and  peace 
conventions  assembled.  The  excellent  advice  of  Wash- 
ington, "In  time  of  peace  prepare  for  war,"  was  regarded 
as  old-fashioned,  and  applicable  to  some  other  nation. 
Had  it  not  been  for  a  few  regiments  of  volunteer  militia, 
from  Massachusetts  and  New  York,  in  1861,  the  capi- 
tol  of  the  nation  probably  would  have  fallen  into  rebel 
hands. 

On  petition  of  Levi  Warren,  Walter  Hastings,  and 
others,   the  Townsend    Lio'ht   Infantry  was   chartered,   in 


158  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

1817.  This  company  commenced  under  favorable  circum- 
stances, and  it  was  kept  up,  with  much  interest,  for  .more 
than  thirty  years.  Its  ranks  were  kept  full  for  more  than 
ten  years  after  military  duty  was  not  compulsory.  It  lived 
long  enough  to  wear  out  three  sets  of  uniforms  in  different 
styles  and  colors.  This  company  was  a  well  disciplined 
corps,  and  on  various  occasions  upon  its  appearance  out 
of  town  on  parade,  for  its  soldierly  bearing  and  general 
good  appearance,  it  received  many  compliments  from 
military  men.  The  Prescott  Guards,  of  Pepperell,  and 
the  Townsend  Light  Infantry,  were  considered  the  best 
companies  in  the  regiment  to  which  they  belonged. 

On  the  fourth  of  July,  1822,  at  a  celebration  on  the 
common,  at  the  centre  of  the  town,  this  company  received 
the  present  of  a  standard,  from  the  ladies  of  Town- 
send.  The  company  orderly  book  contains  the  following 
record  : — 

"The  standard  was  escorted  to  the  common  by  nearly 
an  hundred  respectable  ladies  of  this  town,  and  presented 
by  the  amiable  Miss  Susan  Pratt,*  and  received  by  Ensign 
Ebenezer  Stone,  after  which  the  ladies  were  escorted  back 
to  the  tavern  by  the  company. 

John  Lewis,  Clerk." 

Persons  who  were  in  attendance  at  this  celebration 
inform  the  writer  that  the  ceremony  was  impressive,  and 
the  presentation  speech,  composed  by  Aaron  Keyes,  Esq.. 


*  Daughter  of  Benanuel  Pratt.  Married.  August  29,  1823,  Ptolemy  Edson,  M.  D.,  a 
practical  plivsiciau  at  Chester,  Vermont,  for  fifty-five  vears.  She  died  September 
8,  1844.    He  "died  December  20,  18«6. 


MILITARY,    CEMETERIES,    AND    BEQUESTS.  159 

and    also   the  reply,  were   prepared  with   care,   and   well 
delivered. 

Captains  of  the  Townsend  Light  Infantry  : — 

Asa  Turner,  from  incorporation  till  1821. 
Levi  Warren,  thence  till  April  3,  1822. 
JosiAH  G.  Heald,  thence  till  March  21,  1823. 
William  Park,  thence  till  August  6,  1825. 
Ebenezer  Stone,  thence  till  November  7,  1826. 
Jeptha  Cummings,  thence  till  March  13,  1828. 
Levi  Stearns,  thence  till  August  6,  1829. 
Joseph  H.  Hildreth,  thence  till  August  20,  1831. 
Samuel  Adams,  thence  till  December  2.  1834. 
Horace  Warner,  thence  till  x\pril  18,  1837. 
Abram  S.  French,  thence  till  November  29,  1839. 
Ai  Sherw^in,  thence  till  April  15,  1842. 
Alexander  Craig,  thence  till  April,  1844. 
Prentice  Stone,  no  record. 
Jonathan  Pierce,  no  record. 
Eliab  Going,  no  record. 
William  Adams,  no  record. 
Walton  Bancroft,  thence  till  1852. 

The  company  closed  its  existence  under  Capt.  Ban- 
croft, since  which  time  the  town  has  been  without  a  military 
company. 

It  shows  a  lack  of  good  judgment  for  a  civilized  peo- 
ple or  municipality  to  be  without  a  suitable  military  force. 
At  this  time,  the  country  is  in  as  defenceless  a  condition 
as  it  was  in  1861,  notwithstanding  the  lesson  then  learned. 
Should  the  nation  be  embroiled  in  another  war,  and  as 
long  as  human  nature  remains  the  same  it  is  liable,  to 
become  so  at  most  any  time,  a  long  routine  of  preparation 
would  be  required,  and  the  delay  in  organization  and 
discipline  would  give  the  enemy   a  great  advantage,  and 


1()0  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

perhaps,  be  at  the  expense  of  many  lives.  People  lull 
themselves  to  sleep  in  talking  about  the  horrors  and 
wickedness  of  war.  Clergymen  and  pious  citizens  pray 
that  all  wars  may  cease,  and  exhort  to  non-resistance  ;  and 
statesmen  trust  in  diplomacy.  Now  moral  suasion  is  a 
great  power ;  but  in  an  exigency  like  a  riot,  sixty-four 
rifles,  in  the  hands  of  disciplined  men,  under  a  clear-headed 
commander,  are  worth  more  than  eloquence,  argument,  or 
prayers. 

In  1742,  the  town  ''Voted  to  accept  of  an  acre  of  land, 
from  Mr.  William  Clark,  for  a  burial  place."  It  is  prob- 
able, that  this  ''God's  acre"  was  given  to  the  town  a 
considerable  length  of  time  before  this  vote  was  passed. 
There  must  have  been  some  burials  in  Townsend  during 
the  first  twelve  or  fifteen  years  of  its  settlement,  and  from 
its  proximity  to  the  meeting-house,  this  was  undoubtedly 
the  first  place  selected  for  the  interment  of  the  dead.  The 
graves  first  made  here  are  marked  by  rough  slabs  of  slate, 
minus  any  inscriptions,  and  the  first  stones  on  which  are 
any  records,  date  back  no  further  than  1745. 

In  1744,  "^  Voted  to  choose  a  committee  of  three  men 
to  clear  up  the  burying  place,  and  dispose  of  the  timber 
for  the  best  advantage  of  the  town.  Chose  for  this  com- 
mittee, Nathaniel  Richardson,  Joseph  Baldwin,  and  Josiah 
Robbins."  In  1747,  the  town  evinced  a  deeper  interest  in 
this  cemetery,  and  "Voted  to  fence  the  burying  place  with 
a  stone  wall  four  feet  and  four  inches  high."  Mr.  William 
Clark,  the  giver,  was  the  owner  of  a  large  amount  of  land 
in  this  town.  His  name  appears  on  the  list  of  the  seventy- 
two  persons  quoted  in  this  work,  who  were  present  at 
Concord,  in  May,  1720.  He  subscribed  tor  a  "Lott"  in 
"y®  North  Town"  but  did  not  pay  at  the  time.      He   was   a 


MILITARY,    CEMETERIES,    AND    BEQUESTS.  161 

shoemaker,  owned  slaves,  came  from  Concord  to  this 
town,  and  settled  on  the  south  side  of  the  river,  at  the  base 
of  the  hill  on  the  South  Row  road  leading  from  the  old 
meeting-house,  on  the  west  side  of  the  road,  w^here  one 
Isaac  Spaulding  afterward  lived.  The  bridge,  at  the  west 
of  the  Harbor  pond,  has  always  been  known  as  the  Clark 
bridge,  and  was  called  for  him. 

A  slate  gravestone,  now  in  a  good  state  of  preserva- 
tion, was  erected  to  his  memory,  situated  near  the  centre 
of  this  burial  place,  from  which  it  appears  that  he  died  in 
1756,  aged  seventy-seven  years. 

About  1816,  the  people  began  to  talk  about  a  new 
burying  place,  the  acre  of  ground  given  by  William  Clark 
being  nearly  full ;  besides,  there  are  no  avenues  in  this 
acre;  and  "dust  to  dust"  is  so  closely  commingled,  and 
the  headstones  are  so  numerous,  that  the  part  farthest 
from  the  road  is  not  easily  approached  by  a  funeral  cor- 
tege. In  181 8,  the  town  voted  to  bu}'  the  land  now  used 
for  a  cemetery  at  the  centre  of  the  town,  then  owned  b}" 
Rev.  David  Palmer,  Deacon  Daniel  Adams,  and  Richard 
Warner,  Esq.,  each  of  whom  had  an  angle  of  land  needed 
to  make  the  grounds  eligible,  both  in  distance  from  the 
meeting-house  and  quadrangular  in  shape.  In  1854,  ^he 
town  chose  a  committee,  consisting  of  the  selectmen,  to 
buy  land  at  the  east  of  their  new  burial  place  in  order  to 
enlarge  the  same.  The  east  line  of  the  land,  bought  in 
1818,  commenced  near  the  site  of  the  receiving  tomb; 
thence  southerly  in  a  line  nearly  parallel  with  the  west 
line  of  the  cemetery.  This  committee  bought  about  six 
acres  of  land,  of  Richard  Warner,  at  the  eastward  of  this 
line,  enclosed  it  with  a  picket  fence,  and  took  up  the  east 
line  fence  of  the  original   plot.       The   gentle  hill  in  the 


1()2  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

land,  making  it  an  eligible  location  for  building  tombs, 
was  probably  considered  in  selecting  this  spot  in  1818. 
The  summit  of  this  hill  contains  only  a  few  graves,  from 
which  it  may  be  inferred  that  this  elevated  part  of  the 
ground  was  disliked  as  a  burial  place. 

The  tombs  on  the  west  side  of  this  cemetery  were 
built  in  1819.  The  fashion,  of  making  tombs  like  those, 
was  quite  general  in  this  vicinity  at  that  period.  From 
the  time  of  Cheops,  the  pyramid  man,  to  the  present, 
mankind  in  all  grades  of  civilization  and  religion,  have 
evinced  the  most  absurd  ideas  in. regard  to  the  burial  of 
the  dead,  from  the  Indian,  whose  steed  and  war  weapons 
were  inhumed  with  his  corse,  to  the  nabob,  or  senator, 
reposing  beneath  the  ponderous  and  elaborately  hnished 
marble  at  Mount  Auburn.  The  un coffined  and  unknelled 
remains  of  the  soldiers  at  Andersonville  prison,  sleep  as 
well  "after  life's  fitful  fever"  as  though  placed  beneath  the 
gorgeous  monuments  erected  to  their  memory  in  the  prin- 
cipal cities  of  this  great  nation,  the  liberties  of  which  they 
fell  to  perpetuate.  The  genius  and  wealth  of  the  world 
combined  cannot  make  death  either  welcome  or  lovely. 

In  1836,  Mr.  Levi  Warren  set  apart  a  tract  of  land 
for  a  cemetery,  on  the  south  side  of  the  road  from  West 
Townsend  to  Ashby,  not  far  from  the  baptist  meeting- 
house. Two  or  three  bodies  were  buried  there.  For  good 
reasons,  Mr.  Warren  altered  his  mind  about  the  location 
and  had  the  bodies  moved  in  1838,  at  his  own  expense,  to 
the  cemetery  now  at  the  north  of  the  river,  and  then  gave 
the  town  a  deed  of  the  land. 

The  stocks  used  by  our  ancestors  tor  reformatory 
purposes  more  than  one  hundred  years  ago,  were  placed 
at   the    west    end    of  the    meeting-house,  in   the  open  air. 


MILITARY,    CEMETERIES,    AND    BEQUESTS.  163 

They  were  made  with  two  heavy,  hard  wood,  three  inch 
plank,  each  about  a  foot  in  width  and  seven  or  eight  feet 
long.  In  the  edges  of  these  planks  placed  edge  to  edge, 
four  holes  were  cut,  one-half  in  each  plank.  They  were 
firmly  set  together  in  that  position,  with  a  hinge  at  one  end 
and  a  padlock  at  the  other.  When  a  culprit  was  to  be 
punished,  he  was  taken  to  this  spot,  when  the  upper  plank 
would  be  raised  sufficiently  to  admit  the  persons  ankles 
into  these  holes,  then  the  plank  would  be  shut  dow  n  and 
locked,  leaving  the  offender  to  remain,  either  sitting,  or  on 
his  back,  to  reflect  on  the  condition  of  his  allegience  to 
the  constituted  authority.  No  record  has  been  found 
showing  what  class  of  crimes  were  punished  b}'  this 
instrument  of  torture  to  the  flesh.  It  probably  never  was 
used  many  times,  and  then  only  in  extreme  cases  of  civil 
offences. 

The  following  is  a  copy  of  the  will  of  Lieutenant 
Amos  Whitney,  whose  name  so  frequently  occurs  in  this 
volume  : — 

"In  the  name  of  God,  amen,  I  Amos  Whitney  of 
Townshend  in  the  county  of  Middlesex  in  the  Province  of 
Massachusetts  Bay  in  New  England  Gentleman,  being  in 
health  of  body  and  of  perfect  mind  and  memory  thanks 
be  to  God,  calling  to  mind  my  mortality,  knowing  that  it 
is  appointed  for  all  men  once  to  die,  do  make  and  ordain 
this  my  last  will  and  testament,  that  is  to  say  principallv 
and  first  of  all  I  recommend  my  soul  into  the  hands  of 
God  who  gave  it  and  my  bod}'  to  be  buried  in  a  decent 
manner,  at  the  discretion  of  my  executor,  nothing  doubting 
but  at  the  general  resurrection  to  receive  the  same  by  the 
mighty  power  of  God ;  and  touching  such   worldly  goods 


164  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

and  estate  as  God  has  blessed  me  with,  I  give  and  demise 
in  manner  and  form,  viz;  Imprimis :  I  give  and  bequeath 
to  my  kinsman  Levi  Whitney  of  Townshend,  his  heirs 
and  assigns,  all  the  lands  in  Townshend  which  I  pur- 
chased of  the  heirs  of  Major  Jon''  Hubbard  as  bounded  in 
said  deed  with  the  buildings  thereon  ;  Also  all  my  right  or 
share  in  the  undivided  lands  in  the  towns  of  Tow^nshend 
and  Ashby  ;  also  my  right  or  privilege  in  the  meeting- 
house in  Townshend.  I  also  give  and  bequeath  to  said 
Levi  Whitney  all  and  singular  my  other  estate  both  real 
and  personal  not  hereafter  or  otherwise  disposed  of.  I 
also  constitute  and  appoint  said  Levi  Whitney  sole  execu- 
tor of  this  my  last  will  and  testament. 

"Item.  I  give  and  bequeath  to  the  town  of  Town- 
shend all  the  lands  I  am  now  possessed  of  in  Townshend, 
not  particularly  given  to  Levi  Whitney,  with  the  buildings 
and  appurtenances  belonging  thereto  ;  (my  right  in  the 
meeting  house  excepted)  to  lye  as  a  parsonage  forever,  as 
long  as  the  gospel  is  preached  in  said  town,  to  be  appro- 
priated to  the  use  of  the  settled  ministry  for  the  benelit  of 
the  town  ;  also  my  clock  I  give  and  bequeath  to  the  town 
as  aforesaid  for  the  use  and  improvement  of  the  settled 
ministry,  and  it  is  my  will  that  the  said  clock  be  not  car- 
ried, used  or  improved  off  said  farm  by  me  bequeathed  to 
the  town.  And  it  is  my  will  that  the  town  of  Townshend 
take  possession  of  the  above  bequeathed  premises  on  the 
fifteenth  day  of  April  next  after  my  decease.  I  also  give 
and  bequeath  to  said  town  of  Townshend,  one  hundred 
pounds  of  lawful  money,  to  be  paid  by  my  executor,  lifty 
pounds  in  one  year  and  the  other  tifty  pounds  to  be  paid 
in  two  years  next  after  my  decease,  to  be  by  the  town  put 
at  interest  forever,  and  said  interest  to  be   appropriated  to 


MILITARY,    CEMETERIES,    AND    BEQUESTS.  165 

the  use  and   support  of  a   reading  and  writing  school  in 
said  town  and  to  be  appropriated  to  no  other  use. 

"Item.  I  give  and  bequeath  to  the  town  of  Ashby 
four  pounds  lawful  money  to  purchase  a  cushion  for  the 
ministerial  desk,  to  be  paid  by  my  executor  in  one  year 
after  my  decease. 

"Item.  I  give  to  the  district  of  Shirley  four  pounds 
Lawful  money,  to  purchase  a  cushion  for  the  ministerial 
desk  to  be  paid  by  my  executor  in  one  year  after  my 
decease. 

"Item.  I  give  to  the  town  of  Mason  four  pounds 
of  lawful  money  to  purchase  a  cushion  for  the  minis- 
terial desk  to  be  paid  by  my  executor  in  one  year 
after  my  decease.  Furthermore  my  will  is  that  my  execu- 
tor do  speedily  after  my  decease  pay  all  my  just  debts  and 
funeral  charges  and  speedily  after  my  decease  and  inter- 
ment, procure  and  erect  upon  my  grave  a  decent  and  large 
pair  of  grave  stones,  for  which  purpose  and  the  payment 
of  the  several  legacies  before  mentioned,  I  give  and 
bequeath  to  him  the  said  Levi  Whitney  all  my  notes,  bonds 
and  book  debts :  Furthermore  I  do  by  these  presents 
utterly  revoke  and  disannul  and  disavow  all  other  former 
wills,  testaments  legacies  and  bequests,  and  do  ratify  this 
and  this  only  to  be  my  last  will  and  testament. 

"In  WITNESS  WHEREOF  I  havc  hereunto  set  my  hand 
and  seal  this  twenty-eighth  day  of  August,  Anno  Domini, 
one  thousand  seven  hundred  and  sixty-nine. 

Amos  Whitney,  [L.  S.] 

"Signed,  Sealed,  pronounced  and  declared  by  the  said 
Amos  Whitney  to  be  his  last  will  and  testament  in  the 
presence  of  us  the  subscribers. 

Daniel  Farv^ell 
Thomas  Hubbard 
James  Lock  Jr."' 


166  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

This  document  is  given  entire,  to  show  the  character 
of  the  testator,  and  the  strong  religious  feeling  which 
governed  everything  at  that  time.  In  this  place,  nothing 
need  be  said  concerning  the  manner  in  which  the  par- 
sonage was  disposed  of,  sixty  years  after  the  death  of  Mr. 
Whitney.  The  "hundred  pounds  lawful  money"  disap- 
peared from  the  town  records  at  about  the  time  when  the 
continental  scrip  became  worthless.  The  executor  carried 
out  the  wishes  of  the  testator  to  the  letter  in  every  par- 
ticular. He  erected  the  "decent  and  large  pair  of  grave- 
stones" and  put  on  the  larger  one  this  inscription  : — 

IN    MEMORY    OF 

LIEUT.    AMOS    WHITNEY, 

Who  departed  this  life  October  31,  1770, 
In  the  sixty-sixth  year  of  his  age. 


The  luiiii  is  gone  no  more  to  visit  eartli : 
And  Lo.  a  new  scene  opens  at  his  death. 
His  Public  views  in  Lustre  do  appear. 
And  men  enjoy  his  bounties  far  and  near. 
This  town  by  gi'atitude  and  justice  led 
Owns  him  a  benefactor  now  he's  dead; 
On  children  yet  unborn  his  gifts  descend. 
Which  will  remain  till  time  shall  end. 


Amos  Whitney,  a  bachelor,  was  born  at  Watertown, 
in  1704.  He  held  several  town  offices,  and  was  a  repre- 
sentative for  Townsend  in  a  convention  held  at  Faneuil 
Hall,  in  1768.  He  was  one  of  the  pillars  of  the  church, 
an  estimable  townsman,  sqviare  and  upright  in  all  his 
transactions. 


MILITARY,    CEMETERIES,    AND    BEQUESTS.  167 

His  epitaph  reads:  "The  man  is  gone,  no  more  to 
visit  earth."  This  is  fortunate,  for  if  he  should  ever  come 
this  way  again,  and  learn  anything  about  his  hundred 
pounds,  and  the  fate  of  his  parsonage,  he  might  get  a  little 
excited  at  the  careless  and  stupid  manner  in  which  his 
money  and  land  were  expended  and  lost. 

The  principal  stable,  or  barn,  on  the  premises  that 
once  was  the  parsonage,  is  all  that  remains  of  the  build- 
ings which  has  any  resemblance  to  their  appearance  when 
they  were  put  in  possession  of  the  town,  by  the  executor 
of  the  will  of  Lieut.  Whitney. 

In  1875,  the  house,  which  was  a  convenient  cottage, 
one  and  one-half  stories  in  height,  was  remodelled, 
enlarged,  and  converted  into  a  two-story  dwelling,  by  the 
proprietor,  Mr.  Henry  Williams.  The  location,  about 
midway  between  the  central  village  and  the  Harbor,  is 
just  elevated  enough  to  be  pleasant. 

At  a  convenient  shade  distance,  just  eastward  of  this 
spot,  stands  one  of  the  largest  old  elms  in  Townsend, 
under  the  spreading  branches  of  which,  the  children  of 
Dix   and  Palmer  whiled   away  many  cheerful  hours. 

It  is  a  temple  not  made  with  hands  ;  a  shrine  rendered 
almost  sacred  by  the  pious  acts  of  Whitney,  who,  with 
prophetic  wisdom,  planted  and  trained  it  to  "live  through 
the  centuries."  The  memory  of  the  good  and  true  is 
around  it  and  with  it ;  and,  although  storms  and  winters 
have  mutilated  its  massive  members,  still  they  droop  grace- 
fully athwart  the  lawn  and  beckon  the  heated  and  thirsty 
toiler  in  summer,  to  the  well-curb  beneath  its  refreshing 
shadow.  This  also  will  crumble  to  dust  like  the  busy 
actors,  who  from  time  immemorial  have  played  around  it. 


1(58  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

Concerning  the  clock  given  by  the  foregoing  will, 
tradition  saith  not ;  but  it  undoubtedly  marked  the  hours 
for  rest,  pleasure,  refreshment,  for  school,  and  particularly 
the  time  for  a  faithful  pastor  to  go  forth  to  his  consecrated 
work. 

The  cushions  for  the  several  desks  given  b}'  these 
legacies  have  all  faded,  and  with  them  the  manly  forms 
which  bent  reverently  over  their  glossy  damask. 

But  notwithstanding  all  these  changes,  the  benevolent 
disposition  of  Lieutenant  Amos  Whitney  will  remain  fresh 
in  the  memory  of  the  good  people  of  Townsend,  as  long 
as  it  retains  a  written  historv. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

WAB  OF  THE  REVOLUTION. 

Excitement  Previous  to  the  War — A  Pamplilet  Received  from  the 
Selectmen  of  Boston— Committee  of  Correspondence  and  Safety 
— Action  of  the  Town  in  1773— Action  of  the  Town  in  1774 — 
Delegates  to  the  Provincial  Congress — Assistance  Rendered  by 
Townsend  to  the  Citizens  of  Boston  During  its  Seige— Efforts 
to  Obtain  Salt— The  Alarm  on  the  19th  of  April.  1775— Roll  of 
Capt.  James  Hosley's  Company  of  Minute-Men  that  Marched  to 
Defend  the  Colony — Roll  of  Capt.  Samuel  Douglass*  Company — 
Roll  of  Capt.  Henr}'  Farwell's  Compan}^— Capt.  Thomas  Warren's 
Company— Attempt  to  Regulate  the  Prices  of  Goods  and  Labor — 
The  Tories  of  Townsend — Letter  from  Boston  Concerning  the 
Return  of  the  Absentees— Privations  and  Struggles  for  Indepen- 
dence—Story of  Eunice  Locke— Some  Account  of  Her  and  Her 
Brother — Roll  of  Capt.  James  Hosley's  Companj'  of  Volunteers 
from  Townsend,  Pepperell.  and  Ashby,  which  Went  to  the  Assis- 
tance of  Gen.  Gates  in  1777 — Adoption  of  the  State  Constitution, 
1778 — Depreciation  of  the  Continental  Monej' — Names  of  the 
Townsend  Soldiers  in  1780 — List  of  Prices — Retrospective. 

In  September,  1768,  the  selectmen  of  Townsend 
received  a  letter  from  the  selectmen  of  Boston,  requesting 
them  to  call  a  town  meeting,  and  then  to  take  into  con- 
sideration the  critical  condition  of  government  affairs,  and 
to  choose  an  agent  to  come  to  Boston,  to  express  there,  the 
views,  wishes,  and  determination  of  the  people  of  Town- 
send   on    this    important    subject.       A  town   meeting  was 


170  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

accordingly  called  expressly  for  this  purpose,  when,  "Put 
to  vote  to  see  if  the  town  would  comply  with  the  town  of 
Boston  in  sending  a  man  to  join  with  them  in  the  conven- 
tion, proposed  to  be  held  at  Faneuil  Hall,  and  it  was 
unanimously  complied  with.  Unanimously  voted  and 
chose  Lieut.  Amos  Whitney,  as  a  committee  man  to  join 
with  the  convention  as  aforesaid." 

It  will  be  recollected  that  the  five  years,  which  pre- 
ceded the  time  of  this  action  of  the  town  of  Boston,  were 
exciting  times  for  the  colonies.  Commerce  had  come  to  a 
stand-still  by  the  operation  of  the  "Stamp  Act"  and  the 
"Sugar  Act."  The  operation  of  both  these  obnoxious  acts 
were  defeated  by  non-importation  and  smuggling.  In 
1766,  the  Stamp  Act  was  repealed,  to  the  great  joy  of  the 
colonists,  and  importation  of  goods  was  greater  than  ever 
before.  Everything  w^as  prosperous  for  a  short  time,  but 
in  1768,  the  obnoxious  "Revenue  Act"  was  passed,  which 
threw  a  cloud  over  the  enterprise  and  chilled  the  prosperity 
of  the  entire  people.  It  was  at  this  juncture  that  the  town 
of  Boston  consulted  the  other  towns  in  this  province,  in 
regard  to  asserting  their  rights  and  maintaining  their 
liberties. 

The  firm  resistance  with  which  the  projects  of  the 
British  government  were  received,  served  to  strengthen 
the  Ministry  to  carry  their  points  at  all  hazards.  Troops 
were  stationed  in  Boston  to  intimidate  and  overawe  the 
inhabitants,  and  acts  more  severe  were  passed  by  Parlia- 
ment. The  colonists  saw  that  they  must  either  3'ield  with 
abject  submission,  or  gain  their  rights  by  a  resort  to  arms, 
and  they  did  not  hesitate  between  the  alternatives.  Thus 
their  decision  was  arrived  at  with  the  greatest  deliberation 
and  a  count  of  the  cost.  The  people  of  Boston  were  fore- 
most in  resisting  the  unjust  measures  of  the  mother  country, 


WAR    OF    THE    REVOLUTION.  171 

and  they  were  nobly  seconded  by  the  inhabitants  of  other 
towns.  Every  town  in  the  province  was  consuUed  upon 
this  all  absorbing  subject,  that  they  might  know  what  they 
could  rely  upon  in  case  of  open  rebellion  against  the 
government  of  Great  Britain. 

In  January,  1773,  another  letter  and  a  printed  pamphlet 
were  received  from  the  town  of  Boston,  requesting  the  in- 
habitants of  the  town  of  Townsend  to  pass  such  resolves, 
concerning  their  rights  and  privileges  as  free  members  of 
society,  as  they  were  willing  to  die  in  maintaining.  These 
resolves  the  Bostonians  requested  might  be  sent  in  the  form 
of  a  report,  to  their  committee  of  correspondence.  The 
town  responded  to  this  suggestion  in  an  appropriate 
manner,  as  will  be  seen  from  the  following  extract  from 
the  record  : — 

"At  a  town  meeting  of  the  inhabitants  of  Townshend 
legally  assembled  at  the  Public  Meeting-house  in  said 
town  on  Tuesday  January  5,  1773  at  Eleven  Oclock  in 
foi-e  noon.     James  Hosle}-  was  chosen  Moderator. 

"Voted  to  choose  a  committee  of  five  men  to  consider 
the  Letter  of  Correspondence  from  the  town  of  Boston, 
concerning  the  rights  and  privileges  of  this  Province  and 
report  such  Resolves  and  measures  as  may  be  proper  for 
the  town  to  come  into,  respecting  the  same.  Chosen  for 
said  committee  Capt.  Daniel  Adams,  Deacon  Jonathan 
Stow,  Capt.  Daniel  Taylor,  James  Hosley  and  Jonathan 
Wallace. 

"Voted  to  adjourn  this  meeting  till  to-morrow  at  twelve 
of  the  clock  to  this  place. 

"Met  at  the  adjournment  on  Wednesday,  Jan.  6,  1773. 
The  committee  chosen  by  the  town  at  a  meeting  on  the  5th 


172  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

of  said  month,  to  consider  the  present  state  of  our  pubhc 
affairs,  particularly  as  pointed  out  to  us  by  the  metropolis 
of  this  Province  reported  as  follows  : 

"Inasmuch  as  the  situation  of  our  Public  Affairs  in  this 
and  the  other  colonies,  in  respect  to  the  enjoyment  of  our 
Rights  and  Privileges  is  truly  alarming,  we  consider  it  a 
Duty  which  this  town  owes  to  their  Maker,  to  themselves 
and  their  posterity  to  manifest  in  a  public,  solemn  manner 
their  sentiments  on  this  occasion,  in  order  to  which  they 
form  the  following  Resolves  (viz) 

"i.  That  it  is  the  opinion  of  this  town  that  the  Rights 
of  the  colonists  of  this  Province  in  particular,  as  men  as 
christians  and  as  subjects,  are  justly  stated  in  the  pamphlet 
sent  us  from  the  town  of  Boston. 

"2.  It  is  our  opinion  that  our  rights  and  liberties  do 
labor  under  divers  infringements,  particularly  in  respect  to 
the  way  in  which  our  money  is  taken  from  us,  by  which 
our  governor  is  supported,  and  in  respect  to  the  extensive 
power  vested  in  the  commissioners  of  the  customs,  and  by 
a  military  force  being  employed  to  keep  us  in  awe  and  so 
forth. 

"3.  Resolved  that  if  the  prevailing  report  concerning 
the  Judges  of  our  Superior  Court  being  supported  any 
other  way  than  by  the  free  grants  of  the  people  be  true,  it 
is  a  very  threatening  and  dangerous  innovation,  directly 
tending  to  corrupt  the  Streams  of  Justice. 

"4.  Resolved  that  our  natural  and  constitutional 
Rights,  our  civil  and  Religious  liberties  were  confirmed  to 
us  by  our  charter,  purchased  by  our  ancestors  at  the 
expense  of  much  fatigue  and  blood,  which  renders  the 
possession  of  them  more  dear  to  us,  and  the  parting  with 
them  more  grevious,  and  lays  us  under  stronger  obligations 
to  defend  them  in  all  constitutional  and  scriptural  wavs. 

"5.  Resolved  that  the  following  instructions  be  and 
are  hereb}'  given  to  our  Representative  ;    (viz)  that  he  use 


WAR    OF    THE    REVOLUTION.  173 

his  utmost  influence  to  obtain  a  removal  of  our  present 
burdens  and  to  defend  our  liberties  from  all  further  en- 
croachments, and  to  enquire  into  the  report  concerning  our 
Superior  Judges  being  independent  of  the  people  ;  to  have 
our  unhappy  circumstances  represented  in  a  true  Light  to 
our  Rightful  Sovreign  and  that  the  General  Assembly 
recommend  to  the  people  of  this  Province  to  set  apart  a 
day,  they  the  assembly  shall  think  fit  to  name,  for  Humil- 
iation and  Prayer  :  that  we  may  in  a  united  Public  manner 
spread  our  grievances  before  the  King  of  Kings. 

"6.  Resolved  that  the  town  of  Boston  have  shown  a 
true  spirit  of  patriotism  and  a  tender  concern  for  the  wel- 
fare of  the  Province,  and  that  our  sincere  thanks  are  due 
to  them  for  their  spirited  endeavors  to  discover  the  danger 
of  our  situation,  and  to  lead  us  in  the  way  of  seeking 
redress. 

"7.  Resolved  that  a  committee  of  five  suitable  men  be 
chosen  to  correspond  from  time  to  time  as  occasion  may 
require  with  the  town  of  Boston  and  any  other  towns  that 
have  or  shall,  from  a  sense  of  our  difficulties,  come  into 
such  a  method  of  correspondence  and  communication. 

"The  above  Report  being  several  times  read,  and 
debated  upon,  and  put  to  vote  to  see  if  the  town  would 
accept  of  the  same,  passed  in  the  affirmative. 

"The  committee  chosen  to  correspond  from  time  to  time 
with  the  town  of  Boston  and  other  towns  is  as  follows 
(viz)  Daniel  Adams,  Deacon  Jonathan  Stow,  Capt.  Daniel 
Taylor;  James  Hosley  and  Samuel  Manning. 

"Voted  that  the  town  clerk  transmit  an  authentic  cop}' 
of  the  foregoing  proceedings  of  this  town  meeting  to  the 
committee  of  correspondence  of  the  town  of  Boston. 

Daniel  Adams  Town  Clerk.'' 


From    the    above    extract    may   be  learned  what  the 

sentiments  of  the  people  of  this  town   were,   in  regard  to 
23 


174  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

the  attitude  of  Great  Britain  towards  her  colonies.  They 
considered  that  the  course  of  the  mother  country  was 
oppressive,  and  unjust,  and  their  rights  had  been  violated. 
In  1774,  '^fter  having  received  another  letter  from 
Boston,  and  having  also  heard  from  other  towns,  by  letters, 
concerning  the  tax  on  tea,  a  town  meeting  was  called 
Januar}'  11,  when  the  following  was  recorded  : — 

"The  town  taking  into  consideration  certain  intelligence 
received  from  the  committee  of  correspondence  in  Boston, 
together  with  their  request  for  intelligence  and  advice  from 
the  several  towns  in  this  Province,  passed  the  tbllowing 
resolves  (viz). 

"Being  informed  of  the  late  proceedings  of  our  fellow 
countrymen  in  Philadelphia,  relative  to  the  East  India 
Company  being  allowed  to  send  large  quantities  of  tea  into 
these  colonies,  subject  to  the  payment  of  a  duty  upon  its 
being  landed ;  we  do  agree  with  them  and  readily  adopt 
their  sentiments  upon  this  affair. 

"Resolved  that  we  have  ever  been  uneasy  with  the 
plan  laid  down  by  the  British  Ministry  for  raising  revenue 
in  America,  and  that  the  present  situation  of  our  public 
affairs,  particularly  in  respect  to  a  late  act  of  Parliament 
in  favor  of  the  East  India  Company  requires  our  attention 
and  therefore  further 

"Resolved  that  we  stand  forth  in  the  cause  of  liberty, 
in  union  with  other  towns,  and  in  gratitude  to  the  spirited, 
patriotic  town  of  Boston  in  particular. 

"Resolved  that  we  earnestly  advise  that  no  tea  be  im- 
ported into  this,  or  any  other  American  Colon}-,  so  long  as 
it  is  subject  to  a  duty,  payable  upon  its  being  landed  here. 

"Resolved  that  we  are  sorry  t'or  the  uniiappy  disagree- 
ment between  tiiis  and  the  mother  country,  and  we 
earnestly  wish  to  see  harmony  restored. 


WAR    OF    THE    REVOLUTION.  175 

"Voted  that  the  preeceeding  resolves  be  recorded  and  a 
copy  of  the  same  attested  b}'  the  town  clerk  be  transmitted 
to  the  committee  of  correspondence  of  the  town  of  Boston. 

Daniel  Adams  Town  Clerk."" 

It  thus  appears  that  His  Majesty's  subjects  in  the 
Province  of  Massachusetts,  while  deliberating  on  the 
injustice  and  wrongs  which  had  been  inflicted  on  them, 
were  not  entirely  without  hope  that  their  rights  might  be 
respected  and  '^harmony  restored."'  An  armed  resistance 
as  yet  had  not  been  agreed  upon  by  the  colonists. 

The  first  public  meeting  of  the  people,  in  Massachu- 
setts, outside  of  Faneuil  Hall,  was  a  Provincial  Congress, 
holden  at  Concord,  October  ii,  1774,  which  adjourned  to 
Cambridge,  and  of  which  John  Hancock  was  President. 

At  a  town  meeting  "Oct.  3,  1774,  Jonathan  Stow  was 
chosen  to  appear  in  behalf  of  the  town  of  Townshend  to 
join  the  provincial  congress  to  be  holden,  at  Concord  on 
the  nth  of  Oct.  Inst." 

At  a  town  meeting  "Nov.  21,  1774,  Capt.  Daniel 
Taylor  was  chosen  to  appear  in  behalf  of  the  town  of 
Townshend  to  join  the  provincial  congress  to  be  holden  at 
Cambridge  Nov.  22 -^  Inst.,"  and  January  2,  1775,  Israel 
Hobart  was  chosen  to  attend  the  same  Congress,  at  Cam- 
bridge, on  the  first  day  of  February,  1775.  This  Congress 
enacted  that  at  least  one-fourth  of  all  the  militia  should  be 
enrolled  as  minute-men,  or  men  who  should  be  prepared 
to  march  at  a  minute's  warning,  on  any  emergency.  This 
was  a  decisive  step,  which  shows  the  grit  of  the  revolu- 
tionar}'  fathers.  Some  of  the  members  of  this  Congress 
from  different  towns,  gave  their  time  and  expenses,  others 
were  paid  wholly  or  in  part  by  subscription. 


176  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

The  town  voted  to  indemnify  the  constables  for 
refusing  to  pay  over  the  money,  which  had  been  assessed 
by  the  Province,  into  the  hands  of  Harrison  Gray  ;  also 
voted  to  indemnify  the  assessors  for  refusing  to  return  the 
names  of  such  constables,  although  requested  to  do  so. 

The  people  were  exceedingly  aroused  at  this  time. 
These  were  the  defiant  measures  which  brought  on  the 
war,  and  started  the  King's  troops  en  route  for  Concord, 
on  the  memorable  19th  day  of  April,  1775. 

Boston  at  this  time  was  suffering  under  the  vengeance 
of  Parliament,  for  throwing  over  the  tea,  and  being  the 
head  and  front  of  disloyalty.  There  were  many  poor 
people  in  that  town,  out  of  employment,  and  having  a 
scanty  allowance  of  provisions.  To  them  the  inland  towns 
extended  the  hand  of  charity  and  relief. 

At  a  town  meeting,  January  2,  1775,  "Voted  and  chose 
a  committee  of  tive  men  to  forward  the  donations  for  Bos- 
ton and  Charlestown.  Chose  lor  said  committee  Mr.  Israel 
Hobart,  Capt.  Benjamin  Brooks,  Lieut.  Zachariah  Emery, 
and  Mr.  John  Conant."  Probably  each  man  of  this  com- 
mittee took  a  well  packed  sled-load  of  provisions  to  their 
suff'ering  friends  at  the  tide-water.  There  is  no  other 
record  concerning  that  transaction.  The  warrants  for 
calling  town  meetings  were  not  often  recorded  at  that  time. 
At  a  town  meeting,  June  19,  1775,  "V^oted  to  purchase  50 
Hogsheads  of  salt  for  a  Town  Stock.  Deacon  Richard 
Wyer  chosen  to  go  to  Salem  to  purchase  said  salt,  and 
ordered  him  to  take  his  directions  from  the  Select  Men, 
who  are  to  give  security  in  the  name  of  the  town  for  the 
same." 

It  will  thus  be  seen  that  the  town  was  preparing  for 
the  tug  of  war,  which  was  about  to  commence — the  open- 
ing scene  of  the  revolution. 


WAR    OF    THE    REVOLUTION.  177 

So  far  as  the  actual  means  of  gaining  a  living  were 
concerned,  the  people  at  that  time,  were  comparatively  in- 
dependent. They  took  the  wool  from  the  sheep,  cleansed, 
spun  and  wove  it,  ready  to  be  made  into  their  clothing. 
Lighter  fabrics  were  made  from  their  flax,  spun  by  a  foot- 
wheel,  the  thread  being  graded  by  running  through  be- 
tween the  thumb  and  fore-flnger  of  the  operative.  They 
ground  their  grain  into  flour  for  their  bread,  produced 
vegetables  and  meat  plendfully  for  their  tables,  and  laid 
the  rock  maple  under  contribution  for  their  sugar.  Luxury 
was  a  word  not  to  be  found  in  their  vocabulary  ;■  and  tea 
they  would  not  use  after  it  was  subject  to  the  duty.  Salt 
they  could  not  produce,  but  they  exercised  great  prudence 
in  sending  to  the  coast  in  season  for  an  abundant  supply. 
For  the  expense  of  getting  it,  a  separate  tax  was  assessed 
on  all  the  polls  and  estates  in  town. 

The  alarm  to  the  minute-men  was  given  on  the  19th 
of  April,  1775,  by  the  firing  of  a  cannon  on  the  com- 
mon about  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  Without  doubt, 
quite  a  number  of  Paul  Reveres  tested  their  horsemanship 
in  warning  the  patriots  of  the  approach  of  the  "ministerial 
troops."  Ephraim  Warren  was  plowing  on  the  farm  now 
owned  by  Samuel  F.  Warren,  where  he  then  lived,  when 
the  alarm  was  given.  He  immediately  detached  his  team 
from  the  plow,  rode  one  of  his  horses  to  his  house,  and 
called,  "Molly"  (he  married  Mary  Parker  of  Chelmsford), 
"the  regulars  are  coming  and  I  am  going,  give  me  mv 
gun,"  and  he  quickly  reined  his  horse  toward  the  coast 
and  started.  He  arrived  at  Concord  early  in  the  evening, 
only  in  season  to  see  a  few  dead  bodies  and  some  wounded 
British  soldiers,  who  had  been  left  by  their  comrades  in 
their  hasty  flight. 


178 


HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 


"Muster  Roll*  of  Capt.  James  Hosley's  company  of 
minute-men  belonging  to  Col.  William  Prescott's  regiment, 
who  marched  from  Townshend,  April  last,  to  Cambridge, 
in  defence  of  the  colony  against  the  ministerial  troops  : — 


James  Hosley,  Capt. 
Richard  Wyer,  ist  Lieut. 
James  Locke,  2d  Lieut. 
Peter  Butterfield,  Sergt 
Benjamin  Ball,  Sergt. 
Lemuel  Maynard,  Corpl. 
Ephraim  Brown,  Corpl. 
Nath'l  Bagley,  Drummer. 
Ebenezer  Ball. 
Daniel  Holt. 
James  Sloan. 
William  Kendall. 
Daniel  Conant. 
x\sA  Heald, 
Joseph  Rumrill. 
Oliver  Proctor. 
Daniel  Clark. 
Richard  Warren. 
Israel  Richardson. 
Robert  Waugh. 
Elijah  Wyman. 
Eleazer  Butterfield. 
Benjamin  Hob  art. 
John  Brown. 
Daniel  Emery. 
Ephraim  Shedd. 
Zacheriah  Emery. 


Joseph  Baldwin. 
William  Clark. 
David  Graham. 
Thomas  Eaton. 
Ebenezer  Ball,  Jr. 
Joseph  Shattuck. 
Thomas  Webster,  Jr. 
Levi  Whitney. 
Noah  Farrar. 
JosiAH  Richardson. 
Jonathan  Patt. 
Isaac  Kidder. 
Joseph  Rumrill.  Jr. 
Jonas  Farmer. 
Daniel  Sherwin. 
Eleazer  Butterfield,  Jr. 
Isaac  Boynton. 
Ephraim  Brown. 
John  Clark. 
Jedediah  Jewett. 
Dudley  Kemp. 
Abel  Richardson. 
John  Manning. 
John  Emery. 
Thomas  Wyman. 
Henry  Dunster." 


These  men  were  paid  for  their  services,  by  order  ol 
the  General  Court,  in  December,  1775.    They  marched  on 


^Froni  the  Mass;i<-husettr^  Revohitionary  Rollf;,  vol.  \i.  page  U.). 


WAR    OF    THE    REVOLUTION.  179 

the  19th  of  April,  late  in  the  afternoon,  and  were  in  the 
field,  most  of  them  twenty-one  days. 

It  appears  that  there  were  two  companies  of  minute- 
men  in  Townsend  at  that  time. 

Massachusetts  revolutionary  rolls,  volume  12,  page 
42  :  "A  Roll  of  the  travel  and  service  of  Capt.  Samuel 
Douglas  of  Townshend  in  the  county  of  Middlesex  and 
belonging  to  Col^.  James  Prescotts  Regiment,  and  also  of 
the  men  under  his  command,  who  in  consequence  of  the 
alarm  made  on  the  19th  of  April  1775,  marched  from 
home  for  y*'  defence  of  this  colony  against  the  ministerial 
Troops,  and  continued  in  the  service  till  called  back  to 
take  care  of  the  Tories  in  s'^  Townsend. 

"Samuel  Douglas,  Captain. 
James  Hildreth,  Drummer. 

privates : 

Oliver  Hildreth.  Benjamin  Brooks. 

JoNA.   Hildreth.  Abel  Foster. 

Abijah  Hildreth.  Daniel  Campbell. 

Ephm.  Adams.  Samuel  Scripture. 

Joel  Davis.  Robert  Campbell. 

Isaac  Holden.  Benjamin  Adams. 

Abner  Adams.  Joseph  Giles. 

Abner  Brooks.  Andrew  Searls. 

Benjamin  Wilson.  Jonathan  Goss." 

These  men  were  in  the  service  five  days,  and  on  the 
twenty-second  of  March,  1776,  the  General  Court  ordered 
them  to  be  paid.  Capt.  Douglas  received  £1  7s.  id.,  and 
the  men  12s.  9d.  2qr.,  each. 

It  is  not  known  beyond  a  doubt,  why  the  companv 
under   command   of   Capt.    Douglas  should    be    so    much 


180  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

smaller  than  the  other  company.  The  men  who  went 
with  Capt.  Douglas  all  lived  on  Nissequassick  hill,  within 
a  radius  of  less  than  a  mile.  There  is  reason  for  the  belief, 
that  Douglas,  and  his  neighbors,  were  so  anxious  to  leave 
for  the  fray,  that  they  marched  earlier  in  the  day,  with  less 
preparation,  and  with  only  a  part  of  the  company,  and 
that  the  remainder  of  their  companions  were  willing  to  fall 
in  under  Capt.  Hosley. 

These  rolls,  in  the  archives,  are  copies  of  the  rolls  of 
these  two  companies,  taken  just  before  they  were  paid. 
The  Captains  made  oath  before  Israel  Hobart,  Esq.,  that 
they  were  correct  in  regard  to  travel,  term  of  service,  and 
the  days  of  the  month  on  which  the  service  was  rendered, 
from  which  it  appears  that  Townsend  had  seventy-three 
men  who  started  at  a  moment's  warning,  on  that  memo- 
rable 19th  of  April,  ''to  defend  the  colony  against  the  min- 
isterial troops." 

The  title  of  the  roll  of  Capt.  Douglas'  compan}^  is 
instructive  in  regard  to  the  feeling  here  among  the  people, 
at  the  commencement  of  the  revolution  ;  for  it  appears  that 
this  company  "was  called  back  to  take  care  of  the  Tories 
of  s'^  Townshend."  Most  of  the  Townsend  men  who  did 
not  favor  the  cause  of  American  Independence,  were 
neighbors  of  Douglas  and  his  men.  Further  on  in  this 
work,  the  names  of  the  most  prominent  of  the  tories  will 
appear.  Both  of  these  rolls  designate  the  British  soldiers 
as  "ministerial  troops"  instead  of  the  King's  troops,  which 
rather  indicates  that  the  colonists  considered  that  the  King 
had  bad  advisers,  and  that  the  British  ministry  might,  per- 
haps, be  induced,  in  using  deliberation  and  reason,  and 
guided  by  wisdom,  to  reconsider  some  of  the  acts  that  bore 
so  heavily  upon  them. 


WAR    OF    THE    REVOLUTION.  181 

In  the  margin,  opposite  the  record  of  a  town  meeting  on 
June  19,  1775.  (page  157  T.  R.)  the  following  is  written: 
''  Mr.  Lock  protested  against  the  warrant  coming  out  in 
the  King's  name."  The  assembling  of  these  minute-men 
around  Boston,  in  1775,  was  a  great  advantage  to  the 
colonists,  as  it  showed  them  the  great  need  of  arms, 
blankets,  and  munitions  of  war.  The  acquaintances  there 
formed,  the  discussions  of  future  operations  against  their 
enemies,  and  the  necessity  of  well-concerted  action,  all 
tended  to  strengthen  their  determination  to  be  free.  A 
large  portion  of  these  seventy-three  minute-men  re-enlisted 
in  other  companies,  and  served  more  or  less  during  the 
war,  with  different  captains  and  in  companies  from  dif- 
ferent towns.  The  summer  of  1775  was  extremely  dry 
and  hot,  much  more  so  than  any  since  the  settlement  of 
the  town  ;  there  were  small  crops  of  corn  and  potatoes, 
and  on  dry  land  failed  entirely ;  of  hay  not  over  half  a 
crop  was  raised.  There  was  also  much  sickness  in  town. 
Many  families  suffered  by  the  diseases  of  dysentery  and 
fevers,  which  in  many  cases  were  long  and  severe.  The 
number  of  deaths  in  town  was  unusually  large.  Add 
to  all  this,  the  absence  of  so  many  heads  of  families 
in  the  army,  and  the  keen  anxiety  concerning  the  affairs 
of  the  province,  and  we  can  have  some  idea  of  the  de- 
pressed condition,  the  trials  and  struggles  of  this  first  year 
of  the  war. 

The  following  roll  contains  the  names  of  the  Townsend 
men,  who  were  in  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill,  in  Capt. 
Henry  Farwell's  company.  The  reader  will  observe  that 
most  of  these  soldiers  marched  under  Capt.  Hoslev,  as 
minute-men,  on  the  19th  of  April  previous.  This  roll 
in  the  archives  is  some  mutilated,  so  that  two  Christian 


182 


HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 


names  cannot  be  made  out.  The  exact  chirography  of 
this  document  has  been  preserved.  The  town  Limbrick 
should  have  been  Limerick,  which  was  the  original  name 
of  Stoddard,  New  Hampshire,  named  in  honor  of  Col. 
Sampson  Stoddard,  one  of  the  original  grantees.  The 
Sergeant  Sartwell,  of  this  company,  and  the  private  from 
Rindge,  were  both  of  the  same  name,  and  distant  relatives, 
although  their  names  are  quite  differently  spelled. 

About  one-half  of  these  thirty-five  men  from  Town- 
send  whose  names  appear  on  this  roll,  have  descendants 
in  this  town  at  the  present  time. 

A  muster  roll*   of   the  company  under  command  of 
Capt.  Henry  Farwell 
to  the  first  of  August 


in  Col.  William  Prescott's  regiment, 
1775:— 


Henry  Farwell, 
Lewis  Whitney, 
Benjamin  Ball, 
JosiAH  Stevens, 
Nathaniel  Sartw^ell, 
Phineas  Hubbard, 
Ephraim  Brown, 
Samuel  Lawrence, 
Amos  Farnsw^orth, 
Ephraim  Warren, 
Joseph  Page, 
Timothy  Stone, 
Joel  Jenkins, 
Ephraim  Adams, 
Benjamin  Brooks, 
Isaac  Boynton, 
Eleazer  Butterfield, 
Jonas  Brooks, 
John  Clark, 


Groton, 

Townshend, 

Townshend, 

Groton, 

Groton, 

Groton, 

Townshend, 

Groton, 

Groton, 

Townshend, 

Groton, 

Ashby, 

Groton, 

Townshend, 

Townshend, 

Townshend, 

Townshend, 

Groton, 

Townshend, 


Captain. 
I  St  Lieut. 
2d  Lieut. 
Sergent. 
Sergent. 
Sergent. 
Sergent. 
^  Corporal. 
Corporal. 
Corporal. 
Corporal. 
Drummer. 
Fifer. 
Private. 
Private. 
Private. 
Private. 
•  Private. 
Private. 


;volutioiiary  Roll.-i 


^«^AR    OF   THE    REVOLUTION. 


183 


Moses  Chase, 

Groton, 

Private. 

William  Dirunephel, 

Groton, 

Private. 

James  Davise, 

Groton, 

Private. 

Jonah  Davise, 

Townshend, 

Private. 

Henry  Dunster, 

Townshend, 

Private. 

Joel  Davise, 

Townshend, 

Private. 

John  Emery, 

Townshend, 

Private. 

Jonas  Farmer, 

Townshend, 

Private. 

Joseph  Frost, 

Groton, 

Private. 

Noah  Farwell, 

Townshend, 

Private. 

Abel  Foster, 

Townshend, 

Private. 

Daniel  Foster, 

Groton, 

Private. 

MoRiAH  Gould, 

Townshend, 

Private. 

Oliver  Hildrick, 

Townshend, 

Private. 

Abijah   Hildrick, 

Townshend, 

Private. 

Obadiah  Jinkins, 

Groton, 

Private. 

David  Jinkins, 

Groton, 

Private. 

Zakeous  Farwell, 

Groton, 

Private. 

Ebenezer  Kemp, 

Groton, 

Private. 

Isaac  Kidder, 

Townshend, 

Private. 

John  Manning, 

Townshend, 

Private. 

Henry  McNeil, 

Groton, 

Private. 

Timothy   Moores, 

Groton, 

Private. 

Richards, 

Townshend, 

Private. 

Peltiah  Russell, 

Coos, 

Private. 

Nathan  Patt, 

Townshend, 

Private. 

Joseph  Rumrill, 

Townshend, 

Private. 

Ephraim   Russell, 

Groton, 

Private. 

Ephraim  Robbins, 

Groton, 

Private. 

Abel  Richardson, 

Tow^nshend, 

Private. 

Andrew   Richardson, 

Townshend, 

Private. 

Israel  Richardson, 

Townshend, 

Private. 

Jonathan  Seartle, 

Rindge, 

Private. 

Daniel  Spaulding, 

Townshend, 

Private. 

Daniel  Sherwin, 

Townshend, 

Private. 

Joseph  Willson, 

Townshend, 

Private. 

Francis  White, 

Groton, 

Private. 

Weir, 

Limbrick, 

Private. 

184 


HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 


Israel  Whitney, 

Groton, 

Private. 

JosiAH  Warren, 

Groton, 

Private. 

Thomas  Wyman, 

Townshend, 

Private, 

Oliver  Warrin, 

Townshend, 

Private, 

WiLL^'.  Smith, 

Townshend, 

Private, 

John  Burge, 

Townshend, 

Private, 

Samuel  Weston, 

Townshend, 

Private, 

Jonathan  Jinkins, 

Groton, 

Private, 

Asa  White, 

Groton, 

Private 

As  near  as  it  can  be  ascertained,  there  were  between 
thirty  and  thirty-five  men  constantly  in  the  army  from 
this  town,  until  the  British  evacuated  Boston,  in  March, 
1776.  One  great  mistake  in  the  war  of  the  revolution,  as 
well  as  in  our  late  rebellion,  was  the  short  term  of  enlist- 
ments. About  as  soon  as  some  of  the  recruits  began  to 
be  worth  anything  to  the  government  they  were  mustered 
out  of  service. 

"At  a  legal  town  meeting  of  the  inhabitants  of  Town- 
shend upon  June  20th,  1776,  at  the  Public  meeting-house 
in  said  Town  at  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  : 

"Deacon  Richard  Wyer  chosen  moderator  for  said 
meeting  ;  voted  unanimously  that  the  following  instructions 
be  given  to  Israel  Hobart  Esq.  Representative  lor  said 
Town  (vizj. 

"The  resolve  of  the  late  assembly  of  this  Colony  recom- 
mending to  the  several  Towns  to  express  their  minds  with 
respect  to  the  important  and  Interesting  Question  of 
American  Independence,  is  the  occasion  of  our  giving  you 
the  following  Instructions.  It  is  with  regret  and  anxiety 
of  mind  that  we  find  ourselves  driven  to  the  sad  alternative 
either  to  submit  to  Lawless  Tyrany  and  Domination  or 
declare  Independence  from  that  State  from  whome  we 
originated  and  with  whome  we  have  been  connected  ever 
since  we  were  a  people,  not  only  in  Trade  and  Commerce 
but  in  the  Strictest  bonds  of  esteem  and  efiection  ;  in  this 
Scituation  wc  thot  ourselves    happy   nor   did   we    wish   the 


WAR    OF    THE    REVOLUTION.  185 

connection  dissolved  untill  the  repeated  injuries  of  Great 
Britain  became  Intolerable  and  an  accommodation  we 
conceived  Impracticable.  The  unjust  and  unconstitutional 
Claims  of  Great  Britain  to  the  Colonies  without  their  con- 
sent, and  to  make  laws  in  all  Cases  binding  upon  the 
Colonies  &c.  and  the  most  dutifull  and  humble  petitions  of 
the  Colonies  rejected  with  scorn  and  Contempt,  the  cruel 
and  unjust  measures  pursued  by  the  King  of  Great  Britain 
and  a  vindictive  administration  in  sending  fleets  and  armies 
to  enforce  those  Unjust  acts  and  measures  by  fire  and 
sword  in  a  manner  unprecidential,  the  tragical  nineteenth 
of  April  1775,  the  innocent  blood  since  shed,  the  acts  of 
Parliament  declaring  the  colonies  in  a  state  of  rebellion 
and  the  unjust  and  piratical  Laws  consequent  thereon  we 
conceive  have  destroyed  all  hopes  of  an  accommodation 
with  Great  Britain  and  must  we  think  Justify  these  Colo- 
nies in  renouncing  all  connection  with  and  dependance 
upon  Great  Britain.  We  therefore  declare  it  as  our  clear 
opinion  that  an  American  Republic  be  formed,  provided 
the  internal  government  be  left  to  the  colony,  and  we  your 
constituents  declare  ourselves  ready  at  all  times,  if  the 
Honr.  Continental  Congress  in  whose  wisdom  and  fidelitv 
we  confide  shall  declare  such  a  form  of  Government, 
to  support  the  same  at  the  expense  of  our  lives  and 
Fortunes. 

''Voted  to  raise  fifteen  pound  to  buy  powder  and  lead. 

James  Hosley,  Town  Clerk." 

This  is  an  exact  copy  of  the  record  in  every  particular, 
so  far  as  orthography,  use  of  capital  letters  and  punctua- 
tion are  concerned.  The  "clear  opinion"  of  the  inhabi- 
tants of  this  town,  uttered  just  two  weeks  before  Jeflerson's 
incomparable  Declaration  of  Independence  was  adopted, 
were  in  accord  with  that  instrument. 

After  the  adoption  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence, 
a  copy  of  the  same,  printed  at  Salem,  was  by  order  of 
the  council  sent  to  every  town  in  the  state,  where  they  w^ere 


186  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

read  from  the  pulpit,  and  then  copied  into  the  town  book 
of  records — there  to  remain  as  a  perpetual  memorial. 
This  document  is  very  neatly  copied  into  the  Townsend 
records,  done  by  James  Hosley,  who  was  town  clerk  many 
years. 

In  October,  1776,  the  question  was  submitted  to  all 
the  towns  in  this  state,  whether  they  were  willing  that  the 
House  of  Representatives  and  Council,  then  existing,  should 
frame  a  form  of  government  for  Massachusetts  Bay. 
Townsend  expressed  an  unwillingness  to  that  measure. 

At  a  town  meeting,  October  15,  1776,  upon  this 
subject,  chose  a  committee  of  three  men,  consisting  of 
Lieut.  James  Lock,  Samuel  Manning,  and  Major  Henry 
Price,  who  submitted  the  following,  which  was  adopted  as 
the  opinion  of  tlie  town  :^ 

"Voted  that  it  is  the  opinion  of  this  town,  that  although 
government  is  essential  to  the  happiness  and  well-being  of 
a  people,  and  the  powers  of  forming  states  and  setting  up 
governments  is  essential  in  the  people,  and  that  a  govern- 
ment ought  to  be  set  up  in  this  state  as  soon  as  possible 
with  safety  and  propriety,  yet,  we  cannot  at  present  give 
our  consent  that  the  present  house  form  a  constitution  or 
form  of  government  for  the  reasons  tbllowing  (viz). 

"That  the  act  made  by  the  late  house  respecting  rep- 
resentation, by  which  the  privilege  of  many  towns  is  much 
enlarged,  which  we  think  gives  the  maritime  towns  a 
material  advantage  over  the  country  towns,  as  the  court  is 
held  at  that  side  of  the  state,  b}'  which  we  think  the  mer- 
cantile part  of  the  state  has  a  dangerous  advantage  over 
the  landed  part;  we  therefore  judge  it  of  consequence  that 
representation  be  reduced  nearly  to  the  former  mode  before 
government  is  set  up." 


WAR    OF    THE    REVOLUTION.  187 

In  1776,  Oliver  Prescott,  of  Groton,  was  appointed  a 
brigadier-general,  and  in  that  capacity  he  organized  the 
militia  of  Middlesex  county  into  eight  companies,  consti- 
tuting a  regiment  of  drafted  soldiers  under  fifty  years  of 
age,  and  appointed  its  officers.  Eleazer  Brooks  was 
colonel,  and  Micah  Stone,  of  Framingham,  lieutenant- 
colonel.  Co.  No.  8  :  Thomas  Warren,  of  Townsend, 
captain;  James  Lawrence,  of  Pepperell,  ist  lieutenant : 
Joseph  Rockwood,  of  Groton,  2d  lieutenant. 

There  were  sixty  men  in  this  company,  from  different 
towns.  The  names  of  the  thirteen  men*  from  Townsend, 
in  this  compan^s  were  : — 

Thomas  Warren,  Capt.  Daniel   Holt. 

Samuel  Maynard,  Corpl.  William  Clark. 

Robert  Waugh,  Corpl.  Asa  Merril. 

William  Manning.  Hinchman  Warren. 

Joel  Davis.  Ephraim  Warren. 

Samuel  Wyman.  Timothy  Warren. 
Jonathan  Bowers. 

It  will  be  easily  comprehended  that,  under  the  severe 
pressure  of  a  harassing  war,  when  all  resources  were 
heavily  drawn  upon  to  furnish  arms,  ammunition,  clothes 
and  provisions  for  the  army,  to  supply  funds  for  the  payment 
of  the  soldiers,  and  to  meet  other  expenses  incident  to  the 
state  of  public  affairs,  money,  among  the  inhabitants,  was 
not  only  exceedingly  scarce,  but  that,  in  consequence  of 
the  successive  drafts  for  soldiers,  laborers  were  in  great 
demand,  and  their  services  commanded  exorbitant  prices. 
The  result  of  this  was  that  prices  of  all  commodities,  and 
articles  of  consumption,  rose  in  proportion.      There  was  a 


'^Massachusetts  Revolutionary  Rolls,  vol.  24,  page  55. 


188  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

peculiar  state  of  ail^airs.  Every  kind  of  goods  was  held  at 
a  high  price,  although  no  one  had  money  to  buy  with. 
The  General  Court  felt  the  pressure,  and  attempted  to 
effectually  apply  a  remedy.  This  body  passed  an  act 
dividing  the  state  into  districts,  and  ordering  that  a  com- 
mittee should  be  chosen  in  each  district,  to  fix  upon  the 
prices  of  labor  and  provisions.  The  prices  when  thus 
established,  it  should  be  unlawful  for  any  one  to  exceed. 
This  law  operated  for  only  a  short  time,  and  was  given  up 
by  common  consent.  It  operated  unequally,  and  the  peo- 
ple would  not  submit  to  it. 

The  towns  of  Groton,  Shirley,  Townsend,  Lunen- 
burg, and  Fitchburg,  composed  one  district,  and  the 
following  are  some  of  the  prices  which  were  affixed  to 
some  of  the  most  important  articles,  by  a  committee  of 
these  towns  : — 

Labor  of  men  in  summer,  per  day,  $  .50 

Labor  of  men  in  winter,  per  day,  .25 

Labor  of  a  carpenter,  per  day,  .50 

Wheat,  per  bushel,  i.ii 

Rye,  per  bushel,  .73 

Corn,  per  bushel,  .56 

Oats,  per  bushel,  .33 

Pork,  per  pound,  .06 

Butter,  per  pound,  -121^ 

Beef,  per  pound,  .06 

Potatoes,  per  bushel,  .17 

Good  sheep's  wool,  per  pound,  .  .33 

Men's  stockings,  first  quality,  i.oo 

Men's  shoes,  per  pair,  1.33 

Lamb,  Mutton  and  Veal,  per  pound,  -04 >2 

Hay,  per  ton,  10.00 

Pine  boards,  per  thousand   feet,  3.65 

Clapboards,  10.67 


WAR    OF    THE    REVOLUTION.  189 

Wheat  flour,  per  lOO  lbs.,  $3-67 

For  a  dinner,  boiled  and  roasted,  .17 

For  a  dinner,  only  one  of  these,  .14 

For  mug  of  West  India  flip,  •'^SH 

For  mug  of  New  England  flip,  -12^ 

Good  cider,  per  barrel,  1.83 

Men  tailors,  per  day,  •                                   .42 

Women  tailors,  per  day,  -15^ 

Yard  wide  cotton  cloth,  .58 

House  maids,  per  week,  .42 

Horse  for  one  person  to  ride  a  mile,  -03/^ 

At  this  time  the  people  began  to  feel  the  heavily 
pressing  burdens  of  the  war,  and  to  devise  means  to 
equahze  the  same  among  themselves.  At  the  March 
meeting,  1777,  the  town  "Voted  to  choose  a  committee  of 
five  men  to  estimate  all  the  past  services  done  in  the  war 
by  the  men  of  this  town  ;  Thomas  Warren,  James  Hosley, 
Daniel  Adams,  Richard  Wyer,  and  Levi  Whitney  were 
chosen  for  said  committee." 

These  five  men  had  all  been  in  the  service,  and  were 
as  well  qualified  to  discharge  this  duty  as  any  persons  in 
tow^n.  The  report  of  this  committee  w^as  adopted  the  next 
month.  Some  idea  of  the  magnitude  of  the  enterprise  in 
which  they  were  engaged,  in  daring  to  assert  their  rights, 
as  well  as  the  pay  which  the  continental  troops  received, 
may  be  obtained  from  the  report  of  this  committee.  It 
must  be  borne  in  mind,  that  these  several  sums,  here  ex- 
pressed in  English  money,  had  more  intrinsic  value  than 
the  same  figures  would  express  three  or  four  years  after- 
ward : — 

Voted  £6  to  the  eight  months  men  at  Cambridge. 

Voted  12  shillings  to  each  of  the  six  weeks  men  ditto. 

Voted  16  shillings  to  each  of  the  two  months  men. 
25 


190  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

Voted  £13  6s.  8d.  to  each  of  the  three  years  continental 
men. 

Voted  £10  to  each  of  the  five  months  men  in  the  western 
army. 

Voted  £2  i6s.  to  each  of  the  four  mouths  men  for  Boston 
service. 

Voted  £6  to  each  of  the  two  months  men   for  York  ser- 
vice. 

Voted    £6    to    each    of  the   three   months   men   for  York 
service. 

Voted  £23  to  each  of   the  men   that  shall   enlist  into   the 
*  continental  service  for  three  years  or   during   the 
war,  or  to  such  as  shall  procure   a   man,   or  men 
for  said  service. 

Voted  that  all  the  above  estimates  be  made  into  a  rait 
on  the  several  inhabitants  of  this  town,  and  that  the  polls 
pay  one-half  of  said  rait. 

Voted  that  all  such  as  have  done  more  in  the  war 
service  than  their  proportion  of  said  rait  shall  have  credit 
for  what  they  have  done,  but  shall  have  no  right  to  call 
for  any  money  out  of  the  treasury  till  the  further  order  of 
the  town. 

James  Lock  Moderator. 
James  Hosley  Town  Clerk. 

In  addition  to  all  other  embarrassments  under  which 
the  patriotic  citizens  were  laboring,  was  the  discouraging 
influence  of  about  a  dozen  men  in  this  town,  who  were 
known  as  tories.  These  men  for  more  than  two  years, 
had  clandestinely  opposed  all    measures   wliich   tended    to 


WAR    OF    THE    REVOLUTION.  191 

resist  the  authorit}'  of  Great  Britain.  They  were  intelli- 
gent men,  most  of  them,  and  they  lived  on  what  is  known 
as  Wallace  hill,  also  called  by  an  Indian  name  in  this 
work.  During  the  time  the  minute-men  were  absent,  after 
the  alarm  was  made  on  the  19th  of  April,  1775,  they  were 
offensively  outspoken  and  disagreeable.  It  was  during 
this  year  that  it  was  necessary  for  every  man  to  "screw  his 
courage  up  to  the  sticking  point."  Public  opinion  de- 
manded that  every  able-bodied  citizen  should  give  an 
undivided  support  to  the  American  cause,  or  be  exposed  to 
popular  indignation,  to  prosecutions  before  a  special  Court 
of  the  Sessions  of  Peace,  to  imprisonment,  or  to  a  coat  of 
tar  and  feathers.  From  that  time  such  persons  were 
watched.  Occasionally  they  were  obliged  to  uncover  their 
heads,  and,  in  presence  of  the  assembled  majesty  of  the 
town,  to  promise  greater  love  for  the  American  cause, 
and  a  strict  conformity  to  the  popular  will. 

The  patriots  were  determined  to  remove  every  obstacle 
in  the  way  of  success  and  to  ferret  out  every  loyalist,  who 
might  utter  a  word  against  their"  cause.  Accordingly  a 
committee  was  chosen  "to  collect  evidence  of  inimical 
and  unfriendly  persons  agreeable  to  an  act  of  the  Great 
and  General  Court,"  which  attended  to  that  duty. 

On  the  eighth  of  Jul}',  1776,  "Voted  that  the  select- 
men lay  before  the  town  a  list  of  such  persons  as  they 
think  dangerous  or  unfriendly  to  this  or  the  United  States, 
or  have  been  so  since  the  19th  of  April,  1775  ''  ^^^^  it  was 
done. 

"A  List  of  the  persons  names  taken  by  us  the  Sub- 
scribers and  presented  to  the  town  of  Townshend  at  a  legal 
tow^n  meeting,  agreeable  to  an  act  of  the  General  Court, 
entitled  an   act  for  securing  internal  enemies  as  persons 


192 


HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 


whom  we  consider  dangerous   and  unfriendly  to  this   and 
the  United  States  of  America,  is  as  follows,  viz. 


Joshua  Smith. 
Reuben  Tucker. 
Seth  Johnson. 


ERASED  BY 
THE 
TOWN. 


Isaac  Wallis. 
William  Wallis. 
David  Holden. 
Jonathan  Wallio. 
Euenezer  Giles. 

Townshend  July  8  1777 
Again  August  11  1777. 

James  Hosley  \   Select- 

Richard  Wyer        /      men 
Zacheriah  Emery)        of 
Levi  Whitney         \    Town- 
Thos.  Warren        /    shend. 

James  Hosley,  Town  Clerk." 

In  this  record  a  pen  was  drawn  across  the  names  of 
Jonathan  Wallace  and  Ebenezer  Giles,  and  in  the  margin 
opposite  their  names  are  these  words:  "erased  by  the 
town." 

As  a  matter  of  policy,  rather  than  principle,  these 
two  men,  whose  names  are  erased,  "came  to  time"  and  in 
every  particular  contributed  their  share  of  wealth  to  assist 
in  the  American  cause,  rather  than  lose  their  property  by 
confiscation.  They  were  governed  by  the  same  advice 
which  Polonius  gave  his  son, 

"Give  thy  thono^hts   no    tonifiu'. 
Nor  any    nnpioportioned   thonu^ht  his   act." 


Some  of  these  tories  were  arrested,  taken  to  Townsend 
Harbor,  and  confined  in  a  cooper-shop,  which  stood  nearly 
opposite  the  leather-board   mill    at   that   place,  where  they 


WAR    OF    THE    REVOLUTION.  193 

were  guarded  by  a  detachment  of  soldiers  from  Capt. 
Douglas'  company.  They  were  fed  by  their  friends  and 
families,  during  their  imprisonment,  which  continued  more 
than  a  month.  It  is  said  that  as  some  troops  from  New 
Hampshire  were  passing  through  town,  while  viewing  the 
situation  of  these  prisoners,  overheard  one  of  them  calling 
them  rebels,  which  so  excited  these  patriots,  that  it  was 
with  much  difficulty  that  the  guard  restrained  them  from 
firing  on  the  inmates  of  the  shop. 

Seth  Johnson,  whose  name  appears  in  this  list,  was  a 
blacksmith,  and  had  a  shop  on  or  near  the  southeast 
corner  of  Hathorn's  farm.  He  also  came  over  to  the 
patriots  and  worked  with  them.  Jonathan  Wallis  was  a 
man  of  strong  intellectual  powers,  a  good  judge  of  human 
nature,  and  he  filled  many  important  offices  before  and 
after  the  revolution.  He  outlived  his  unpopularity  and 
came  down  into  the  present  century,  in  his  old  age  much 
respected.  Ebenezer  Giles  was  a  large  land  holder,  and 
a  man  of  intelligence  and  influence.  He  resided  on  the 
farm  now  owned  by  Mr.  Hamor  Lewis.  A  part  of  the 
Townsend  tories,  when  the  excitement  was  at  its  height, 
who  were  not  land  owners,  precipitantly  left  the  town. 
The  patriots  were  after  them  on  all  sides. 

It  is  in  tradition,  that  one  night,  while  they  were  sur- 
rounding a  house,  after  a  man  by  the  name  of  Searles, 
who  lived  on  the  northerly  side  of  the  hill,  near  the  old 
burying  ground,  a  younger  brother  to  the  man  whom  thev 
were  after,  knocked  a  board  oft'  the  back  side  of  the 
house,  jumped  out,  and  ran  in  a  westerly  direction.  The 
patriots  immediately  gave  chase  and  came  up  with  him 
near  the  Goss  bridge,  when  they  discovered  the  ruse. 
During  the  chase,  the  person  sought  for  made  good  his 


194  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

escape,  and  was  followed  in  a  few  days  b}^  his  wife.  At 
the  close  of  the  war,  a  correspondence  disclosed  the  fact, 
that  several  persons  of  the  tory  stripe,  among  whom  were 
two  men  and  their  wives,  belonging  to  Townsend,  took 
refuge  in  the  forests,  near  the  Saco  river,  where  they 
suffered  extremel}'  both  for  food  and  clothing,  in  this  their 
self-constituted  exile. 

Joshua  Smith  was  a  trader,  the  first  one  in  town  of 
which  there  is  any  account.  He  lived  at  the  Harbor,  and 
occupied  for  a  store  the  old  house  painted  red,  now  stand- 
ing on  the  north  side  of  the  road,  nearly  opposite  the  mill- 
yard.  He  was  ver}^  obnoxious  to  the  patriots,  so  much  so 
that  he  was  about  the  first  man  "to  leave  his  country  for 
his  country's  good"  for  fear  of  being  handed  over  to  the 
board  of  war.  He  had  no  real  estate  subject  to  confisca- 
tion. 

The  most  prominent  Townsend  man,  who  was  loyal 
to  the  crown  and  British  ministry,  was  Joseph  Adams,  a 
physician.  The  fact  appears  in  the  Middlesex  county 
records,  that  in  1774,  he  bought  sixty-five  acres  of  land, 
"situate  about  a  mile  north  of  the  meeting  house,"  of  one, 
Josiah  Burge.  The  house  he  lived  in  is  the  same  building 
now  occupied  as  a  dwelling  by  Mr.  Daniel  Dix.  This 
was  just  before  the  road  was  made,  running  nearly  diago- 
nally through  the  Hathorn  farm,  which  passes  by  this 
house.  The  name  of  Dr.  Adams  appears  only  once  in 
the  town  records  (except  in  the  tax-lists),  and  then  in  con- 
nection with  the  making  of  this  road.  His  name  appears 
in  the  list  of  Middlesex  county  absentees,  in  the  Massachu- 
setts Archives,  volume  154,  page  332  ;  James  Locke  being 
appointed  agent,  by  the  Judge  of  Probate,  to  take  care  of 
the  propert}'. 


WAR    OF    THE    REVOLUTION.  195 

Dr.  Adams  probably  fled  from  town  before  the  ap- 
pointment of  the  committee  to  look  after  the  tories.  From 
the  Boston  Gazette,  February  14,  1780: — 

"Public  notice  is  hereby  given,  that  there  .will  be  a 
Lett  at  Public  Auction,  to  the  highest  Bidder,  on  Thursday 
the  1 6th  day  of  March  next  at  One  of  the  Clock  afternoon 
at  the  house  of  Nathan  Conant,  Innholder  in  said  Town- 
shend ;  the  real  Estate  of  Joseph  Adams,  Physician,  an 
absentee,' consisting  of  a  good  Farm  in  Townshend,  about 
I  mile  from  the  meetinghouse  conveniently  situated,  with 
good  buildings  thereon,  with  a  Pew  in  the  meetinghouse — 
Also  a  House  and  about  12  Acres  of  Land  in  Pepperell, 
lying  on  the  County  Road.  Said  premises  to  be  Leased 
for  one  year  from  the  First  Day  of  April  next. 

"Townshend  Feb.  8,  1780. 

James  Locke  Agent." 

After  the  close  of  the  war,  the  real  estate  of  Dr. 
Adams,  under  the  confiscation  act,  was  sold  by  the  agent, 
and  James  Prescott  and  others  were  appointed  a  committee 
to  settle  with  his  creditors,  consisting  of  Rev.  Samuel  Dix, 
Captain  Joseph  Adams,  and  others,  of  this  town.* 

Lorenzo  Sabine,  author  of  the  History  of  the  Loyal- 
ists, "supposes"  that  this  Dr.  Adams  was  a  graduate  of 
Harvard  College,  in  1743.  The  Joseph  Adams  of  that 
class  died  at  Barnstead,  New  Hampshire,  in  1803,  but 
thus  far  nothing  can  be  traced  which  goes  to  show,  beyond 
a  doubt,  that  he  was  once  the  tory  of  Townsend. 

At  the  close  of  the  war,  there  was  considerable  pres- 
sure on  the  part  of  absentees,  or  runawa}^  tories,  from  all 
parts  of  the  country,  for  the  privilege  of  returning  to  the 
places  that  were  once  their  homes.  To  this  the  patriots 
never  consented. 


*Avchives,  volume  155,  page  53. 


19()  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

On  April  17th,  1783,  the  town  of  Boston  sent  the  fol- 
lowing letter  and  a  copy  of  the  proceedings  of  a  meeting 
at  Faneuil  Hall,  concerning  the  absentees  : — 

''To  the  committee  of  correspondence  &c.  the  selectmen  of 
the  Town  or  Plantation  of  Townsend  to  be  commu- 
nicated to  the  Town  or  Plantation. 

"Gentlemen:  By  the  enclosed  Resolve,  transmitted 
to  you  by  the  directions  of  this  town  at  their  late  meeting, 
you  may  form  some  judgement  of  their  sentiments  respect- 
ing the  absentees,  and  your  Wisdom  and  Patriotism  will 
determine  as  to  the  Propriety  and  Usefulness  of  coming 
into  the  same  or  similar  Resolves. 

"  This  town  does  not  presume  to  dictate  to  any  of  their 
Sister  Towns,  but  they  always  received  with  pleasure, 
their  Sentiments  with  respect  to  what  concerns  the  public 
Good.  The  advantages  that  have  been  derived  from  thus 
freely  communicating  the  sentiments  of  each  other,  during 
the  late  Struggle  with  our  most  inveterate  internal  and  ex- 
ternal Enemies,  are  of  too  great  Magnitude  to  need  point- 
ing out. 

"We  sincerely  congratulate  you  that  through  the  Favor 
of  Providence,  we  are  now  like,  if  not  w^anting  to  our- 
selves, to  reap  the  glorious  Fruits  of  the  Blood  and  Treas- 
ure we  have  freely  offered,  by  a  Peace,  in  all  its  particulars, 
fully  answerable  to  our  most  sanguine  Expectations. 

"Our  Happiness  as  a  Nation,  will,  however,  under 
GOD,  depend  principly  upon  preserving  our  Morals  and 
our  Manners,  and  maintaining  good  Faith  and  Friendship 
with  our  natural  and  generous  Allies,  the  French,  who 
reached  out  to  us  their  supporting  Hand  in  the  Hour 
of  our   Distress,   and  whose  interest  it  is  to  maintain  the 


WAR    OF    THE    REVOLUTION.  197 

Independence  of  our  Country  and  the  Freedom  of  our 
Fishery  and  Navigation. 

"In  order  to  this  we  must  timely  and  cautiously  guard 
against  the  Machnations  and  influence  of  our  late  Enemies 
the  Britons ;  and  surely  the  British  King  cannot  have  more 
Subservient  Tools  and  Emmessaries  amongst  us  for  the 
purpose  of  sowing  the  Seeds  of  Dissention  in  this,  infant 
Nation,  and  disaflfecting  us  to  our  magnanimous  and  faith- 
ful Ally,  the  Monarch  of  France,  than  the  generality  of 
the  Refugees,  whose  inveteracy  to  him,  and  deceit  and 
cruelty  to  their  Countr3-men  have  been  manifest  as  the 
Light. 

"The  inhabitants  of  this  Town  do,  therefore,  in  general, 
most  heartil}'  depricate  their  return.  Alarmed  by  a  late 
attempt  of  a  number  of  the  obnoxious  Refugees  to  land  at 
Dartmouth,  and  by  Reports  that  interest  was  making  for 
the  return  of  others  to  their  Estates,  the  Rights  of  citizen- 
ship and  the  enjoyment  of  that  Happiness  they  had  been 
the  main  instruments  of  making  us  thus  long  sorely  toil 
and  bleed  for,  has  excited  this  vigilence  and  care  to  pre- 
vent their  Return. 

"They  have,  therefore,  requested  the  Committee  of 
Correspondence,  Inspection  and  Safety,  to  keep  a  watchful 
Eye,  in  order  to  discover  such  intruders,  that  Informations 
may  be  immediately  given  to  proper  authority,  that  they 
may  be  dealt  with  as  the  Law  directs.  They  have  not 
presumed  to  draw  the  line  between  any  Classes  of  Con- 
spirators and  Absentees,  as  that  will  be  the  Business  of 
Government :  they  have  only  directed  the  committee  to 
pursue  the  directions  of  Congress,  and  the  Laws  of  this 
Commonwealth,  as  it  was  before  their  duty  to  do.  till  this 
line  shall  be  drawn. 


20 


198  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

"And  we  cannot  but  flatter  ourselves  that  it  will  appear 
to  you,  that  this  town  have  herein  discovered  that  Judge- 
ment, Firmness  and  Patriotism  in  the  common  Cause  of 
their  Country,  which  early  distinguished  them  in  their 
Opposition  to  the  Measures  pursued  by  Britain  for  their 
slavery  and  Ruin.  We  shall  feel  happy  to  be  informed 
that  your  Town  will  so  far  approve  of  our  conduct,  as  to 
adopt  similar  Measures  for  the  Interest,  Quiet  and  Safety 
of  this  and  the  other  United  States,  and  we  have  the 
honor  to  subscribe  ourselves  your  most  obedient  Humble 
Servents 

Nat'l  Barber 

Chairman  Per  Order.'* 

"Boston,  April  lo,  1783. 

"At  a  meeting  of  the  freeholders  and  other  Inhabitants 
of  the  Town  of  Boston,  duly  qualified  and  legally  warned 
in  public  Town  Meeting,  assembled  at  Faneuil  Hall,  by 
adjournment,  April  7,  1783. 

"Whereas  by  a  Resolve  of  the  Legislature  of  this 
Commonwealth,  passed  on  the  13th  of  February,  1776, 
the  several  Towns  were  directed  and  empowered,  at  their 
annual  meetings  in  March,  to  choose  Committees  of 
Correspondence,  Inspection  and  Safety,  whose  business 
(among  other  things)  is  to  communicate  Matters  of  Im- 
portance to  Comrnittees  of  the  same  Denomination,  to  any 
other  town,  county  or  state,  or  to  the  General  Assembl}'  or 
Council. 

"And  Whereas  the  present  circumstance  of  the  United 
States  requires,  that  committees  so  appointed  should  use 


WAR    OF    THE    REVOLUTION.  19l> 

their  utmost  Industry  and  Care  to  effect  the  great  and  im- 
portant Purposes  of  their  appointment,  at  a  time  when 
Interest  is  making  for  the  readmitting  Absentees  and  Con- 
spiritors,  to  return  into  this  and  other  of  the  United  States  : 
Therefore — 

"RESOLVED,  That  this  Town  will  at  all  times,  (as 
they  have  done)  to  the  utmost  of  their  Power,  Oppose 
every  Enemy  to  the  just  Rights  and  Liberties  of  Mankind  : 
And  that  after  so  wicked  a  Conspiric}^  against  those  Rights 
and  Liberties,  by  certain  Ingrates,  most  of  them  Natives 
of  these  States,  and  who  have  been  Refugees  and  declared 
Traitors  to  their  Country, — it  is  the  Opinion  of  this  Town, 
that  they  ought  never  to  be  suffered  to  return,  but  be  ex- 
cluded from  having  Lot  or  Portion  among  us. 

"And  the-  Committee  of  Correspondence  are  hereby 
requested,  as  by  the  law  of  this  Commonwealth  they  are 
fully  empowered  to  write  to  the  several  Towns  in  this 
Commonwealth,  and  desire  them  to  come  into  the  same,  or 
similar  Resolves  if  they  shall  think  tit. 

Att.  William  Cooper  Town  Clerk.'" 

Townsend,  at  a  town  meeting  on  the  twelfth  of  May 
following,  voted  not  to  allow  the  return  of  the  absentees, 
and  that  the  selectmen  communicate  the  vote  of  the  town 
to  the  town  of  Boston.  All  the  towns  on  the  coast,  as 
well  as  Boston,  had  more  interest  in  the  return  of  these 
tories  than  the  inland  towns,  for  more  of  them  belonged 
to  these  towns.* 

It  is  in  history,  that  on  the  thirtieth  of  April,  1775, 
Gen.   Gage  made  a  proposal,  "that  those  persons  in  the 


*From  the  Boston  Gazette,  Sept.  1,  1783:   ''Joseph  Adams.  Physician,  and  John 
Smith,  Trader,  both  of  To^^Tishend,  were  forbidden  to  return." 


200  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

country  who  inclined  to  move  into  Boston  with  their  effects, 
might  have  Hberty  to  do  so  without  molestation."  To  this 
the  Provincial  Congress  assented,  and  "officers  were  ap- 
pointed to  grant  permits,  and  a  large  number  of  tories,'  as 
they  were  called  by  the  patriots,  availed  themselves  to 
seek  the  shelter  of  the  British  guns." 

There  are  good  reasons  for  supposing,  that  two  or 
more  of  the  Townsend  tories  took  advantage  of  this  chance 
of  escape,  for  their  names,  as  far  as  is  known,  never  after- 
ward appeared  on  any  records  of  the  town. 

We  now  resume  the  account  of  the  labors  of  the 
patriots. 

It  is  impossible  for  the  people  of  the  present  day, 
being  removed  a  century  from  "the  time  that  tried  men's 
souls,"  to  realize  how  completely  that  struggle  called  into 
exercise  every  resource,  and  the  entire  energy  of  every 
individual  throughout  the  town.  No  matter  how  low  his 
condition,  and  how  limited  his  means  for  supporting  him- 
self and  his  family,  every  man  was  called  upon  to  act — 
to  exert  himself  to  the  extent  of  his  ability,  or  be  con- 
sidered a  tory.  Poverty  was  no  shield  against  liability  to 
engage  in  the  common  cause.  The  poorest  day  laborer, 
though  clothed  in  rags,  was  required  to  arouse  and  render 
his  help  in  the  defence  of  his  country.  Men  of  money 
were  obliged,  by  law  as  well  as  by  public  opinion,  to  open 
their  purses,  as  well  as  to  give  neat  cattle  for  beef,  salt 
pork,  rye  meal,  commissary  stores,  and  everything  neces- 
sary for  army  supplies. 

The  women  of  that  period  were  equally  patriotic  and 
strained  every  nerve  in  the  American  cause.  One  instance, 
among  thousands,  of  the  devotion  of  the  fair  sex  to  the 
cause  of  freedom,  displayed  by  the   New  England  women, 


WAR    OF    THE    REVOLUTION.  201 

which  occurred  in  Townsend,  is  worthy  of  record.      The 
narrator  was  a  daughter  of  James  Lock,  Esq.  : — 

"Late  one  afternoon  of  one  of  the  last  days  in  May. 
1777,  when  I  was  a  few  months  short  of  fifteen  years  old, 
notice  came  to  Townsend,  where  my  father  used  to  live, 
that  fifteen  soldiers  were  wanted. 

"The  train  band  was  instantly  called  out,  and  mv 
brother,  next  older  than  myself,  was  one  that  was  se- 
lected. He  did  not  return  till  late  that  night  when  all 
were  in  bed.  When  I  arose  in  the  morning,  I  found  my 
mother  in  tears,  who  informed  me  that  my  brother  John 
was  to  march  the  day  alter  to-morrow,  at  sunrise.  My 
father  was  at  Boston,  in  the  Massachusetts  Assembl}'. 
Mother  said  that  though  John  was  supplied  with  summer 
clothes,  he  must  be  away  seven  or  eight  months,  and 
would  suffer  for  want  of  winter  garments.  There  was  at 
this  time,  no  store,  and  no  articles  to  be  had,  except  such 
as  each  family  would  make  itself.  The  sight  of  a  mother's 
tears  always  brought  all  the  hidden  strength  of  the  mind 
to  action.  I  immediately  asked  her  what  garments  were 
needful.  She  replied,  'pantaloons.'  'Oh,  if  that  is  all," 
said  I,  'we  will  spin  and  weave  him  a  pair  before  he  goes.' 

"'Tut,'  said  my  mother,  'the  wool  is  on  the  sheep's 
back,  and  the  sheep  are  in  the  pasture.' 

"I  immediately  turned  to  a  younger  brother,  and  bade 
him  take  a  salt-dish  and  call  them  to  the  yard. 

"Mother  replied,  'Poor  child,  there  are  no  sheep  shears 
within  three  miles  and  a  half.' 

"'I  have  some  small  shears  at  the  loom,'  said  L 

"'But  we  cannot  spin  and  weave  it  in  so  short  a  time.' 

"'I  am  certain  we  can,  mother.' 

'"How  can  you  weave  it?  There  is  a  long  web  of  linen 
in  the  loom.' 

"'No  matter  I  can  find  an  empty  loom.' 

"By  this  time  the  sound  of  the  sheep  made  me  quicken 
my  steps  toward  the  yard.     I  requested  my  sister  to   bring 


202  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

me  wheel  and  cards,  while  I  went  for  the  wool.  I  went  to 
the  yard  with  my  brother,  and  secured  a  white  sheep,  from 
which  1  sheared,  with  my  loom  shears,  half  enough  for 
the  web  ;  we  then  let  her  go  with  the  rest  of  the  flock.  I 
sent  the  wool  in  with  my  sister.  Luther  ran  off  for  a  black 
sheep,  and  held  her  while  I  cut  ofl:'  wool  for  my  filling  and 
half  the  warp,  and  then  we  allowed  her  to  go  with  the 
remaining  part  of  her  fleece.  The  wool  thus  obtained  was 
duly  carded  and  spun,  washed,  sized  and  dried ;  a  loom 
was  found  a  few  doors  ofl',  the  web  got  in,  woven  and  pre- 
pared, and  the  pantaloons  were  cut  and  made,  two  or  three 
hours  before  my  brother's  departure  ;  that  is  to  say,  in  forty 
hours  from  the  commencement,  without  help  from  any 
modern  improvement." 

The  lady  closed  by  saying,  "I  felt  no  weariness,  I 
wept  not — I  was  serving  my  country  ;  I  was  assisting  poor 
mother  ;  I  was  preparing  a  garment  for  my  darling  brother. 
The  garment  being  finished,  I  retired  and  wept  till  my 
overcharged  heart  was  relieved." 

James  Locke,  the  father  of  the  lady  who  gave  this 
account  of  her  brother  John's  pantaloons,  moved  from 
Townsend,  to  Sullivan,  New  Hampshire,  in  1784,  where 
he  died,  1808,  aged  78.  The  heroine  of  this  story,  his 
daughter,  Miss  Eunice  Locke,  about  that  time  married  a 
man  b}'  the  name  of  Richards,  who  resided  in  Townsend 
a  year  or  more.  Her  husband  died  in  middle  age,  and 
she  survived  him  and  died  somewhere  in  the  state  of 
Michigan,  at  an  advanced  age.  She  is  represented  as 
possessing  much  intelligence  combined  with  great  perse- 
verance, and  a  winning,  lady-like  modesty. 

John,  her  brother,  for  whom  the  garment  was  made, 
was  born  1761.  After  serving  in  the  war  at  two  or  three 
different  calls  upon  the  town  for  men,    and   before  peace 


WAR    OF    THE    REVOLUTION. 


203 


was  declared,  he  joined  a  privateer,  and  died  of  the  yelloM' 
fever  at  the  island  of  Antigua,  in  1783,  aged  22. 

This  family  lived  about  a  mile  and  a  half  northeasterly- 
from  the  Harbor,  on  the  west  side  of  the  road  that  runs 
almost  on  the  line  between  the  towns  of  Pepperell  and 
Townsend. 

"State  of  Massachusetts.  *Capt.  James  Hosley's 
Muster  Roll  of  Volunteers  who  turned  out  of  the  towns  of 
Townshend,  Pepperell  and  Ashby  and  marched  with  him 
to  the  assistance  of  Major  General  Gates,  agreeable  to  a 
Resolve  of  the  General  Court  of  said  State  upon  Sep- 
tember 22d  1777  in  the  Regiment  w^hereof  Jonathan  Reed 
is  Colonel. 


James  Hosley,  Capt. 
Asa  Kendall,  Lieut. 
Nath^  Sartell,  Lieut. 
Daniel  Adams,  Clerk. 
Thomas  Shattuck.  Sergt. 
Asa  Shedd,  Sergt. 
Lemuel  Patts,  Sergt. 
Benjamin  Whitney,  Sergt 
William  Stevens,  Corpl. 
Thomas  Fisk,  Corpl. 
Samuel  Stone,  Corpl. 
Abel  Richardson,  Corpl. 
William  Prescott,  Esq. 

formerly  Colonel. 
Henry  Wood,  Esq. 

formerly  Major. 
Samuel  Stone, 

Major  in  the  Militia. 


Abram  Clark,  Lieut. 
Abner  Adams,  Sergt. 
Nath^  Bailey,  Sergt. 
David  Hey\vood,  Sergt. 
Elijah  Wyman,  Sergt. 
Benj'^  Adams,  Corpl. 
Jedediah  Jewett,  Corpl. 
Joseph  Lawrence,  Corpl. 
Joseph  Shattuck,  Corpl. 
John  Boynton. 
Joseph  Baldwin. 
Abner  Brooks. 
Abraham  Boynton. 
Sampson  Bowers. 
Jonas  Baldwin. 
Daniel  Butterfield. 
Isaac  Blood. 
Daniel  Clark. 


♦Massachusetts  Revolutionary  Rolls,  vol.  19,  page  177. 


204 


HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 


James  Campbell. 
John  Emery. 
John  Eaton. 
Isaac  Farrar. 
Jonas  Farmer. 
James  Giles. 
James  Green. 
James  Hilldrith. 
Benj'^  Ball. 
Joshua  Hosley. 
Samuel  Henshaw. 
Abel  Hildreth. 
Benj^   Hudson. 
Daniel  Jewell. 
Asa  Kendall,  Jr. 
David  Locke. 
Thomas  Lawrence. 


John  Locke. 
John  Manning. 
John  Stevens. 
Richard  Stevens. 
Samuel  Seward. 
Nath'-.  Sartell,  Jr. 
Daniel  Sherwin,  Jr. 
William  Tarbell. 
Samuel  Wright,  Jr. 
Joseph  Walker. 
Jacob  Wright. 
Timothy  Warren. 
Pomp  Phillis. 
John  Emerson. 
Nathan  Lovejoy. 
Timothy  Hodgman." 


These  volunteers  were  in  the  service  one  month  and 
fifteen  days,  and  the  pay  of  the  soldiers  was  £3  15s.,  that 
of  the  officers  being  about  sixty  per  cent,  more  than  that 
sum.  This  was  one  of  the  most  efficient  military  com- 
panies, that  went  to  the  war,  from  this  part  of  Middlesex- 
county,  Col.  Prescott,  the  hero  of  Bunker  Hill,  and  two  of 
his  subordinate  officers  were  in  the  ranks  of  this  corps, 
which  on  the  seventeenth  of  October,  1777,  assisted  in  sur- 
rounding the  haughty  Burgoyne,  at  Saratoga. 

Pomp  Phillis,  whose  name  appears  in  this  roll,  was  a 
servant  of  one  of  the  privates  from  Pepperell,  in  this  com- 
pany, and  a  few  of  this  black  man's  descendants  may  now 
be  found  in  Temple,  New  Hampshire,  and  perhaps  in 
other  places.  Nearh'  all  the  men  under  Capt.  Hosley  had 
previously  been  in  the  service. 

The  soldiers  who  performed  guard  duty  at  Cam- 
bridge, while  the  British  prisoners  captured  by  Gen.  Gates" 


WAR    OF    THE    REVOLUTION.  205 

army,  were  quartered  there,  were  drafted  from  the  militia. 
The  names  of  the  Townsend  men  have  not  been  found, 
although  it  is  beyond  a  doubt  that  the  town  was  represented 
at  that  point. 

In  January,  1778,  the  town  "approved  the  articles  of 
confederation  between  the  United  States  of  America,"  and 
instructed  their  representative  "to  give  his  vote  in  the 
General  Court  in  compliance  therewith." 

The  town,  during  the  war,  kept  up  their  "committee  of 
correspondence,  inspection  and  safety."  In  1778,  James 
Lock,  Samuel  Manning,  Lemuel  Petts,  Daniel  Adams, 
Jr.,  and  Samuel  Ma3'nard,  w^ere  said  committee.  At  this 
meeting  "voted  to  give  forty  pounds  to  each  of  the  last  ten 
continental  men  that  were  hired  in  this  town."  In  March, 
1778,  "voted  that  the  selectmen  provide  for  the  wives  of 
Messrs.  Ephraiii],  Warren,  Jr.,  Solomon  Parce,  William 
Stacy,  John  Sloan,  and  all  others,  agreeably  to  the  Court's 
act  for  providing  for  the  families  of  such  persons  as  are 
in  the  continental  service." 

This  record  is  instructive  in  showing,  not  only  the 
promptness  of  the  town  in  complying  with  the  act  of  the 
Assembly,  but  the  politeness  of  the  town  clerk  in  calling 
these  poor  patriots,  J/I?55r5.,  who  had  "periled  all  in  the 
sacred  cause  of  freedom." 

During  this  year,  1778,  town  meetings  followed  in 
rapid  succession;  the  fourth  one,  on  May  nth,  was  called 
"to  see  if  the  town  will  come  into  some  method  that  will  be 
effectual  to  raise  the  men,  called  for  of  said  town,  for  the 
public  service  by  the  resolves  of  the  General  Court  April 
20  1778."  At  this  meeting  "Voted  to  give  £130  to  each  of 
the  continental  men,  and  eighty  pounds  to  each  of  the 
militia  men." 


27 


20(>  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

It  must  be  kept  in  remembrance  that  when  the  war 
commenced,  the  enthusiasm  of  the  people  was  at  its  height 
and  the  pay  was  good :  after  this  period  it  became  neces- 
sary to  resort  to  some  regular  system  for  keeping  our 
quota  good.  Besides,  the  seat  of  war  was  so  much  farther 
from  home  than  at  first,  that  there  was  more  dread  to  enlist 
in  the  service. 

Townsend  then  had  two  militia  companies,  organized 
about  1774,  known  as  the  North  Company  and  the  South 
Company.  These  companies  are  called  the  "training 
bands"  in  the  records.  The  men  of  the  town  were  en- 
rolled from  sixteen  to  sixty-five  years  of  age,  in  these  two 
companies,  the  dividing  line  between  the  two  companies 
being  the  old  county  road.  Whenever  a  call  was  made 
for  troops  from  this  town,  these  companies  would  meet  and 
equalize  the  number  of  men  each  company  was  obliged 
to  furnish.  Generally,  the  soldiers  from  this  town,  during 
this  year,  received  bounties,  but  some  went  for  less  bounty 
than  was  offered  by  the  town  at  that  time.  In  some 
instances  members  of  these  two  companies  cast  lots  among 
themselves  to  see  who  should  go.  The  man  upon  whom 
the  lot  fell  had  to  shoulder  his  musket  and  march,  or  hire 
a  substitute.  The  number  of  men  who  could  afford  to  hire 
substitutes  was  limited.  One  feature  is  worth  recording  : 
Townsend  sent  no  men  to  the  war  except  its  own  sons  and 
citizens. 

In  May,  1778,  the  State  Constitution  was  submitted  to 
the  people  for  their  approval  or  disapproval.  Townsend 
voted  :  for  the  constitution  fitly-one,  against  it  two.  Con- 
sidering the  importance  of  the  subject,  this  would  seem  a 
small  vote  for  a  town  of  more  than  six  hundred  inhabitants  ; 
but  it  must  be  recollected  that  a  large  number  of  voters  were 


WAR    OF    THE    REVOLUTION.  207 

in  the  army.  In  June,  more  men  ^vere  called  for,  to  rein- 
force the  army  in  Rhode  Island.  In  these  trying  times  so 
great  was  the  demand  for  the  sinews  of  war,  that  an  article 
was  inserted  in  the  warrant:  "To  see  if  the  town  will  sell 
the  school  Lot."  This  article  was  passed  over.  At  all 
these  town  meetings  the  war  w^as  the  all-absorbing  subject, 
in  regard  to  raising  and  paying  the  men.  The  committee 
to  estimate  the  services  done  by  the  citizen  soldiery  in  the 
war  was  active  during  the  year,  according  to  the  vote  of 
the  town. 

The  year  1779  was  equally  eventful.  At  this  time, 
the  depreciation  of  the  currency  was  the  trouble.  The 
following  brief  extract  describes  the  affairs,  at  that  time, 
in  a  masterh'  manner  : — 

"At  the  commencement  of  the  war,  gold  and  silver 
were  scarce  articles  ;  and  it  was  soon  found  that  if  some- 
thing could  not  be  devised  as  a  substitute  for  the  precious 
metals,  the  patriots  must  give^up  the  contest,  and  surrender 
all  hope  of  gaining  Independence.  Congress  ordered  the 
issuing  of  notes,  or  bills,  to  a  large  amount,  promising  to 
redeem  them  at  a  convenient  season.  This  currency, 
called  Continental  Money,  soon  came  into  extensive  circu- 
lation. The  bills,  instead  of  being  executed  in  the  elegant 
style  of  our  bank  note  engravings,  were  rude,  coarse  prints 
on  coarser  paper,  and  consequently  were  easily  counter- 
feited. The  British,  actuated  by  the  double  motive  of 
making  monev  and  ruining  the  credit  of  our  govern- 
ment, flooded  the  country  with  counterfeits,  so  well 
executed  that  they  could  not  be  distinguished  from  the 
true  ones.  In  1777,  the  bills  began  to  depreciate;  and  all 
intelligent  men  soon  saw  that  it  w^ould  be  impossible  for 
the  government  ever  to  tultil  their  pledge  of  redeeming 
them.  The  government,  not  being  able,  or  not  choosing 
to  devise  anv  other  means  to  raise  the  credit   of   the   bills. 


208  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

in  an  evil  hour  made  them  a  legal  tender  for  the  payment 
of  all  debts  due. 

"The  consequence  of  this  measure  may  be  seen  at  a 
glance.  Never,  since  the  time  of  the  flood,  Vvere  debtors 
more  ready  and  anxious  to  pay  their  debts,  or  creditors 
more  unwilling  to  receive  their  money.  Of  mone}',  such 
as  it  was,  there  was  no  scarcity,  and  miserably  poor  was 
he  who  could  not  count  his  thousands.  Then  was  the  sun 
of  prosperity  darkened  upon  the  prospects  of  those  upon 
whom  it  is  usually  supposed  to  shine  with  peculiar  favor. 
I  refer  to  the  lenders  of  money.  Hundreds  who  before 
were  in  comfortable  circumstances — more  than  supported 
by  the  income  of  their  money — experienced  the  singular 
satisfaction  of  having  every  debt  paid  them,  and  while 
gazing  upon  their  masses  of  money,  reflecting  that  they 
were  reduced  to  poverty." 

In  June,  1779,  a  town  meeting  was  called,  with  this 
article  in  the  warrant :  "To  see  what  the  town  will  give  to 
the  men  for  the  nine  months  continental  service,  rather 
than  proceed  to  a  draught."  On  this  article  "Voted  to  offer 
.each  Soldier  of  our  quota  of  the  nine  months  men,  1000 
Dollars,  or  90  Bushels  of  Rye." 

The  average  number  of  men  which  the  town  kept  in 
the  field  from  this  time  to  the  end  of  the  war  is  not  accu- 
rately known,  but  probably  the  number  will  not  vary  much 
from  twenty.  There  is  little  on  record  concerning  this ; 
and  it  would  be  equally  difficult  to  ascertain  the  amount  of 
money  paid  the  soldiers  by  the  town,  inasmuch  as  the 
value  of  the  continental  money  varied  all  the  time.  Be- 
sides the  expense  of  taking  care  of  the  families  of  about 
one-third  of  these  men,  which  bore  heavily  on  the  town, 
can  never  be  estimated. 

The  following  list  of  names  is  the  only  roll  to  be 
found    in    the    records   of  Townsend  :   "Names   of  the    six 


WAR    OF    THE    REVOLUTION.  209 

months  men  in  the  continental  service  for    1780 — Travel 
220  miles  : — 

Eleazer  Butterfield.  Jonathan  Wheelock. 

William  Stagey.  Benjamin  Hill. 

Isaac  Spalding.  Timothy  Shattuck. 

John  Sherwin.  Benj"^  *Weatherbee." 
Peter  Adams. 


While  the  continental  scrip  was  rapidly  depreciating 
in  value,  the  people  of  Massachusetts  did  their  utmost  to 
arrest  its  shrinkage  and  to  keep  the  prices  of  goods  and 
labor  where  they  then  were. 

The  prominent  men,  one  or  two  from  each  town,  in 
this  part  of  the  Commonwealth,  met  in  convention  at  Con- 
cord, in  July,  and^gain  in  October  of  this  year,  "to  state 
the  prices  of  the  necessaries  of  life."  This  was  merely  a' 
repetition  of  a  similar  arrangement  two  years  before  this 
time  ;  the  difference  being  a  tenfold  increase  of  prices  from 
that  time.  It  is  as  difficult  to  legislate  soundness  into  a 
paper  currency  as  it  is  piety  into  a  politician.  Public 
opinion  and  common  sense  will  scrutinize  the  intrinsic 
value,  the  real  gold  which  each  contains.  The  convention 
at  Concord,  in  October,  tixed  the  prices  for  the  towns  in 
this  neighborhood  with  much  precision.  The  prices  of 
these  "necessaries  of  life"  are  in  part,  as  follows,  begin- 
ning as  here  inserted  : — 

West  India  Rum,  per  gallon,  £6  iis. 

New  England  Rum,  per  gallon,  4  i8s. 

Molasses,  per  gallon,  4  15s." 

Tea,  per  pound,  6  oos. 


210  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

They  appeared  to  have  forgotten  about  throwing  tea 
overboard.  Everything  in  this  list,  long  as  the  previous 
one,  was  in  proportion,  in  regard  to  price,  with  the  fore- 
going articles.  Beans  were  worth  £5  2s.,  wheat  £7  13s., 
and  near  the  end  of  the  list  may  be  found  ''West  India 
Phlip,"  per  mug,  15s.,  and  the  last  article  on  the  schedule 
is  "Cyder,"  per  mug,  2s. 

The  resolutions  (now  on  record,  vol.  2,  town  records, 
page  190,)  passed  by  the  town  in  1779,  concerning  the 
price  of  labor  and  goods  were  similar  to  those  passed  by 
other  towns  at  that  period  : — 

"ist.  Resolved  that  this  town  will  use  its  utmost  en- 
deavors, to  carry  the  resolves  of  the  aforesaid  convention 
(at  Concord)  into  execution,  and  if  any  shall  be  so  lost  to 
public  virtue  and  the  common  interest  of  America,  as  to 
violate  said  resolves,  or  any  of  them,  we  will  view  them  as 
enemies  of  mankind,  unworthy  to  enjoy  the  benefits  of 
society,  and  we  w^ill  withdraw  all  connections  and  corres- 
pondence from  them." 

Four  other  resolves  following  this  are  equally  pointed. 
The  names  of  those,  who,  in  any  sale,  violated  this  list  of 
prices,  were  "to  be  posted  up  in  some  public  place  in  this 
and  the  adjacent  towns,"  and  "published  in  one  of  the 
Boston  News  Papers."  Exchanging  gold  and  silver  for 
paper  money  at  unequal  rates,  subjected  the  names  of  the 
offenders  to  the  same  publicity. 

These  patriots  exhibited  the  utmost  solicitude  and  the 
deepest  feeling  concerning  their  currency.  That  men  of 
intelligence  should  then  for  a  moment  suppose,  that  any 
action  similar  to  that  taken  in  this  case,  would  in  the  least 
increase  the  value  of  the  scrip,  or.  would  materially  alter 


WAR    OF    THE    REVOLUTION.  211 

the  course  of  trade,  is  not  easily  understood.      The  cur- 
rency depreciated  as  follows  : — 

January  1778,  $1.00  in  specie  equalled      $4.50  continental. 
January  1779,  $1.00  in      ''       equalled      $8.34  "• 

January  1780,  $1.00  in       "       equalled   $32.50  " 

January  1781,  $1.00  in      "      equalled  $166.00  " 

This  last  comparison  between  the  two  only  held 
good  for  a  few  weeks.  In  July,  1781,  the  town  ''Voted 
to  raise  £40000  to  defra}-  the  charges  of  the  war,  and 
other  charges,"  and  ''£6000  to  make  up  the  salery  of 
Rev.  Mr.  Dix."  In  June,  of  the  same  year,  the  town 
"Voted  to  reduce  £15000  raised  last  May  to  defray  town 
charges,  into  £200  silver  money  to  be  assessed  and  to 
be  paid  in  silver,  or  paper,  at  the  legal  exchange,  as 
those  that  pay  may  choose."  On  January  nth,  1782,  an 
article  was  put  in  the  warrant  "To  see  if  the  town  will 
order  the  constables  not  to  receive  any  more  paper  money 
upon  a  town  rate."  On  this,  "Voted  that  Capt.  Ball  settle 
the  town  rates  now  in  his  hands  that  are  3'et  unsettled  at 
the  rate  of  one  silver  dollar  in  Lieu  of  85  paper  dollars." 
This  was  a  specified  sum  agreed  upon  by  the  town  in  that 
particular  ca^e,  and  does  not  express  the  real  value  of 
scrip,  which  was  then  almost  worthless. 

The  collection  of  the  foregoing  facts  in  regard  to  the 
Revolutionary  War,  has  been  attended  with  much  slow, 
plodding  research,  in  investigating  old  manuscripts  and 
documents  outside  of  anything  afforded  by  the  records  of 
the  town.  The  writer  has  been  unable  to  do  justice,  either 
to  the  subject,  or  the  determined  people  of  Townsend, 
who,  at  a  moment's  warning,  and  at  different  times, 
grasped  their  rude    muskets    and  swords,   and   started    to 


212  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

defend  their  heaithstones — their  ahars  against  the  in- 
vaders. 

It  has  been  impossible  to  give  the  names  of  all  the 
men  v^ho  tilled  the  quotas  at  the  different  calls  on  the  State 
for  soldiers.  Neither  can  the  names  of  all  the  persons 
who  lost  their  lives  in  that  conflict  be  correctly  ascertained. 
Townsend  lost  six  or  seven  men  in  this  war,  and' among 
that  number  were  James  Hosley,  (quite  a  young  man) , 
Israel  Richardson,  John  Locke,  and  three  others.  Every- 
thing considered,  the  record  of  this  town  stands  well,  com- 
pared with  the  other  towns  in  the  Commonwealth.  Within 
the  bosom  of  the  town  was  a  nest  of  tories  which  caused 
them  much  trouble,  but  still  its  quota  was  always  full.  The 
best  men  of  the  town,  the  town  clerks,  the  selectmen,  its 
representatives  to  the  General  Court,  all  took  their  turn  in 
the  continental  arm3% 

But  the  retrospect  grows  dim  and  shadowy  as  we  turn 
back  through  the  eventlul  years  of  the  century  that  has 
gone. 

"Oh  checkered  train  of  years,  farewell, 
With  all  thy  strifes,  and  hopes,  and  tears ; 
But  with  us  let  the  memories  dwell 
To  warn  and  teach  the  coming  years." 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE   SHAYS  REBELLION. 

<Jauses  which  Led  to  the  Eevolt— Mob  at  Springtiekl — Excitement  hi 
Worcester  County — The  People  of  Concord  in  Fear  of  the  In- 
surgents—Letter from  Concord  to  the  Neighboring  Towns — 
Town  Meetings  and  Committees  at  this  Time — Job  Shattuck 
and  his  Subalterns — Stopping  the  Courts — Capture  of  Shattuck— 
List  of  the  Shaj^  Men  Belonging  to  Townsend— Peter  Butter- 
field — Luke  Daj^  the  Leading  Spirit  of  the  Insurrection— Daniel 
Shays. 

At  the  close  of  the  revolution,  the  country  was  in  a 
demoralized  condition.  Almost  all  the  available  wealth  of 
the  people,  at  the  commencement  of  the  war,  had  been 
expended  to  feed,  clothe,  and  pay  the  troops.  There  was 
much  dissatisfaction  among  the  soldiers  at  being  paid 
off  in  a  worthless  currency.  The  increase  of  the  indebted- 
ness of  the  towns  and  of  individuals,  the  scarcity  of 
money,  the  decay  of  business,  numerous  lawsuits,  and  a 
want  of  confidence  in  the  goverriment,  particularly  in  re- 
gard to  matters  of  finance,  generated  a  depressed  state  of 
teeling,  which  caused  great  anxiety  among  the  people. 
This  state  of  feeling,  in  some  degree,  w^as  coextensive  with 
the  commonwealth.  People  began  to  express  great  dis- 
approbation of  the   manner  in  which  the  government  was 


214  HISTORY    OF    TOVVNSEND. 

administered,  and  a  revolt  was  freely  discussed,  as  earl}- 
as  1782.  In  Northampton,  the  insurgents  were  rather 
numerous.  They  were  headed  by  a  disappointed  and 
disaffected  clergyman,  by  the  name  of  Ely,  who  under- 
stood all  the  arts  of  the  demagogue. 

In  1783,  a  mob  assembled  in  the  town  of  Springfield, 
resolving  itself  into  a  general  convention.  Proceeding  to 
the  court  house,  on  the  appearance  of  the  judges  and 
sheriff,  the\'  opposed  their  entrance  to  that  building.  A 
riot  was  prevented  by  the  timely  intervention  of  some  of 
the  most  influential  citizens  there  present. 

For  the  next  three  years  "the  distressed  state  of 
affairs,'"  as  expressed  in  the  Townsend  records,  con- 
tinued. 

In  1786,  at  a  convention  of  insurgents,  assembled  in 
Worcester  county,  at  Leicester,  thirty-seven  towns  were 
represented,  which,  without  any  interruption,  freely  dis- 
cussed the  propriety  of  obstrucdng  the  sitting  of  the 
General  Court  at  Boston  ;  the  closing  of  the  county  courts 
by  force  ;  law  abuses  ;  and  other  subjects.* 

In  the  counties  of  Middlesex,  Bristol,  and  Berkshire, 
similar  conventions  were  held,  and  votes  and  resolves 
passed.  On  September  5,  1786,  a  mob  prevented  the 
session  of  the  court  at  Worcester. 

The  voters  in  the  towns  of  Groton,  Pepperell,  Shirley, 
and  Townsend,  were  about  equally  divided  on  this  subject. 
The  town  of  Concord,  where  the  court  was  then  in  session, 
was  much  excited,  dreading  the  expected  approach  of  the 
rebels  against  the  state  authorities.  A  majority  of  that 
town   were   in   sympathy   with  the   insurgents.       Concord 


HollamVs  Western  Mass. 


THE    SHAYS    REBELLION.  215 

addressed  the  following  letter  to  most  of  the  towns  in  this 
county,  and  Townsend  among  the  number : — 

"To  the  Town  of  Townsend. 

''Gentlemen:  Alarmed  at  the  threatening  aspect  of 
our  public  affairs,  this  town  has  this  day  held  a  meeting, 
and  declared  unanimously  their  utter  disapprobation  of  the 
disorderly  proceedings  of  a  number  of  persons  in  the 
counties  of  Hampshire  and  Worcester,  in  preventing  the 
action  of  the  courts.  And  apprehending  the  like  may  be 
attempted  in  this  county,  and  probabU^  be  attended  with 
very  dangerous  consequences,  we  have  thought  it  advisa- 
ble to  endeavor  in  conjunction  with  as  many  of  the 
neighboring  towns,  as  we  can  give  seasonable  information 
to,  by  lenient  measures,  to  dissuade  from  such  rash  con- 
duct as  may  involve  the  state  in  anarchy  and  confusion, 
and  the  deprecated  horrors  of  civil  war.  We  conceive 
the  present  uneasiness  of  the  people  to  be  not  altogether 
groundless  ;  and  although  many  designing  men,  enemies 
of  the  present  government,  may  wish  and  actually  are 
fomenting  uneasiness  among  the  people,  yet  we  are  fully 
pursuaded,  that  the  views  of  by  far  the  greater  part,  are 
to  obtain  redress  of  what  they  conceive  to  be  real  griev- 
ances. And  since  the  method  they  have  taken  cannot 
fail  of  meeting  the  hearty  disapprobation  of  every  friend 
of  peace  and  good  order,  we  cannot  but  hope,  from 
what  we  know  of  the  strenuous  exertions,  which  have 
been  made  by  the  towns  around  us,  and  in  which  those 
disorders  above  mentioned  now  exist,  to  purchase  at  the 
expense  of  blood  our  independence,  and  the  great  una- 
nimity with  which  they  have  established  our  present 
government ;  and  from  what  we  know  of  the  real  grounds 


21()  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

of  their  complaints  ;  were  lenient  measures  used,  and  a 
number  of  towns  united  to  endeavor,  by  every  rational 
argument,  to  dissuade  those  wdio  may  seem  refractorv 
trom  measures  which  tend  immediately  to  destroy  the  fair 
fabric  of  our  government,  and  to  join  in  legal  and  consti- 
tutional measures  to  obtain  redress  of  what  may  be  found 
real  grievanfces ;  they  would  be  attended  with  happ}- 
etiects. 

"We  have  therefore  chosen  a  committee  to  act  in 
concert  with  the  neighboring  towns,  for  the  purpose  of 
mediating  between  opposing  parties,  should  they  meet. 
And  we  cannot  but  hope,  our  united  endeavors  to  support 
the  dignity  of  government  and  prevent  the  effusion  of 
blood,  will  meet  with  general  approbation,  and  be  attended 
with  happy  consequences. 

"If  the  above  should  meet  with  your  approbation,  we 
request  you  to  choose  some  persons  to  meet  a  committee  of 
this  town,  chosen  for  that  purpose,  at  the  house  of  Captain 
Oliver  Brown,  innholder  in  Concord  on  Monday  evening 
or  Tuesday  morning  next,  that  we  may  confer  together, 
and  adopt  measures  which  may  be  thought  best  calculated 
for  the  attainment  of  the  end  above  proposed. 

"We  are  gentlemen,  with  great  esteem  and  frendship 
your  humble  servants. 

Joseph    Hosmer 
in  behalf  of  the  towns  committee 
Concord  Sept  9  1786"' 

Townsend,  during  this  period,  w^as  in  a  state  of  great 
perplexity,  judging  from  the  records  of  many  town  meet- 
ings. In  May,  1786,  a  warrant  was  posted  calling  a  town 
meeting  on  the  fifth  of  June  following,  when  a  committee 
of    live   men    was   chosen,    "to    draft    public    grievances," 


THE    SHAYS    REBELLION.  217 

consisting  of  David  Spafford,  Jonathan  Wallace,  Daniel 
Adams,  Benjamin  Ball,  and  Thomas  Seaver.  The  first 
and  last  named  gentlemen  on  this  committee  were  dis- 
affected men  ;  the  other  three  were  opposed  to  the  insur- 
rection. At  the  same  meeting  chose  the  same  men  as  "a 
committee  to  confer  with  other  towns,"  and  then  adjourned 
to  the  twenty-sixth  of  the  same  month.  Met  at  the  adjourn- 
ment, and  adjourned  for  two  weeks.  At  this  adjourned 
meeting,  the  town  "chose  two  men  to  attend  a  convention 
(of  insurgents)  to  be  holden  at  Concord  on  the  tvvent}-- 
third  of  August." 

There  is  no  record  of  anything  like  a  response  to  the 
letter  sent  to  Townsend  by  the  town  of  Concord.  On  the 
twelfth  of  September,  three  days  atl:er  the  date  of  this 
letter,  the  insurgents  marched  into  Concord  and  forcibly 
stopped  the  court.  The  "head  centre"'  of  the  insurrection, 
in  Middlesex  county,  was  Job  Shattuck,  of  Groton, 
assisted  by  Nathan  Smith  and  John  Kelse}',  of  Shirlev, 
and  Peter  Butterfield,  of  Townsend.  Shattuck  served  in 
the  French  war,  and  was  a  captain  in  the  revolution. 
Smith,  Kelsey,  and  Butterfield,  his  lieutenants,  were 
military  men,  and  had  all  been  officers  either  in  the  militia 
or  the  continental  service.  Each  of  these  men  were  well 
qualified  to  be  conspicuous  in  such  a  cause. 

Meeting  with  no  resistance  in  stopping  the  court  at 
Concord,  their  deportment  was  insolent  and  offensive,  in 
the  extreme,  towards  the  judges,  the  members  of  the  bar, 
and  ever}'  one  not  disposed  to  be  in  sympathy  with  them. 
The  court  being  ■  about  to  be  holden,  at  Cambridge,  the 
Governor  ordered  the  militia  to  be  in  readiness  to  march  to 
that  place.  At  this  time  says  a  historian,  "An  influential 
character  in  Middlesex  undertook  to  make   an   ao'reement 


218  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

with  the  leaders  of  that  county,  that  no  forces  should 
appear  on  either  side,  and  wrote  a  letter  to  the  governor 
on  this  subject,  to  their  satisfaction.  Shattuck  broke  this 
agreement  and  arranged  for  a  larger  number  of  men  to  be 
collected  from  Bristol  and  Worcester  counties." 

"Pursuant  to  this  new  scheme  (the  same  historian)  a 
small  party  of  Middlesex  insurgents,  headed  by  Oliver 
Parker  (Job  Shattuck,  their  former  Captain,  coming  in  a 
secret  manner  in  order  to  avoid  the  appearance  of  breaking 
his  agreement)  marched  into  the  town  of  Concord.  Upon 
their  arrival,  Shattuck  proceeded  in  the  night  to  Weston, 
to  get  intelligence  of  the  Worcester  forces,  but  though 
they  had  begun  their  march,  they  did  not  appear,  and 
trom  this  want  of  co-operation  the  whole  plan  fell 
through." 

At  this  juncture,  when  an  effort  to  stop  the  court, 
located  so  near  the  capital  of  the  state,  was  nearly  a 
success,  without  any  further  parley,  or  chance  for  the 
insurgents  to  rally  their  scattered  forces,  "warrants  were 
issued  for  apprehending  the  head  men  of  the  insurgents, 
in  Middlesex,  and  for  imprisoning  them  without  bail  or 
mainprise."  A  company  of  horse  was  ordered  from 
Boston  to  assist  the  Sheriff  in  the  capture  of  Shattuck 
and  his  officers,  which,  on  its  arrival  at  Concord,  was  re- 
enforced  by  a  party  of  mounted  men  from  Groton,  under 
Col.  Henry  Woods.  This  force  succeeded  in  capturing 
two  prisoners,  Oliver  Parker  and  Benjamin  Page,  but 
failed  to  hnd  Shattuck  during  the  day,  as  he  had  taken 
alarm  and  escaped.  "Under  this  disappointment,  at  mid- 
night, in  the  midst  of  a  violent  snow-storm,  the  whole 
party  were  ordered  on  to  Shattuck's  house,  in  Groton, 
where  they  did   not  arrive   till   late   in   the   morning.       A 


THE    SHAYS    REBELLION. 


219 


search  was  immediately  commenced,  and  judicious  pur- 
suit discovered  him  to  a  part}^  of  a  few  persons  led  by  Col. 
Woods  himself.  Shattuck  obstinately  resisted  and  was 
not  taken  till  he  had  received  several  wounds,  which  he 
returned  without  much  injury."* 

The  following  list  of  the  Townsend  insurgents  has 
been  preservtsd  among  the  papers  on  file  with  the  town 
records.  It  is  worthy  of  notice  that  about  one-fourth  of 
the  persons  in  this  list  were  young  men  in  their  minority. 
Fourteen  of  them  had  the  suffix  of  Jr.  to  their  names. 
Abraham  Butterfield,  the  son  of  Peter,  was  less  than 
seventeen  years  of  age,  and  some  of  them  less  than  sixteen 
years  old.  Man}'  of  these  persons  were  the  best  men  of 
the  town,  misguided  though  they  were  : — 

.  Peter  ButterfieW. 
Asa  Heald. 
Samuel  Stevens. 


Jonas  Warren. 
Jacob  Bachelder. 
Benia.  Spaulding,  Jr. 
Andrew  Searle,  Jr. 
Daniel  Clark. 
Simeon  Richardson. 
John  Emery. 
Ephm.  Lambson. 
Jonathan   Pierce. 
Asa  Stevens. 
Isaac  Lewis. 
Andrew  Searls. 
Jedediah  Jewett. 
Elijah   Dodge. 
Jesse  Baldwin. 
Nathaniel   Baile^■,  Jr. 


Nathan  Conant,  Jr. 
Isaac  Wallis,  Jr. 
Reuben  Gaschett. 
Benjamin  Dix. 
William  Stevens,  Jr. 
David  Wallace. 
James  Ball. 
Asa  Whitney. 
Isaac  Wallis. 
Joseph  Baldwin,  Jr. 
Phinehas  Baldwin. 
David  Spafford,  3d. 
Solomon  Parce. 
John  Conant. 
Benja.  Wood. 
Nathan  Carlton. 
Samuel  Searles. 
David  Spafford. 
Eben'r  Ball,  Jr. 


*lt  is  said  that  Shattuck  was  taken  on  the  ice  in  the  Nashua  River,  near  the  New 
Hampshire  line. 


•20 


HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 


Zackery    Hildreth.  -^ 
Aaron  Proctor.  ^ 
Phillip  Warren.^ 
Isaac  Green.  ^ 
Isaac  Giles.  ^ 
Solomon  Sherwin.  i^ 
Azariah  P.  Sherwin.  >/ 
Peter  Adams.  '^ 
Joseph  Rumrill.  \y 
Jonathan  Sanderson. ^ 
Thomas  Sever,  v/ 
Josiah  Burge,  Jr.' 
Moses  Burge.  -y 
Abijah  Monroe.  '^ 
Abel  Keys.    ~ 
Elnathan  Spalding. 
Josiah  Richardson. 
Levi  Whitney. 
Benja.  Wallace. 
Moses  Warren. 
Isaac  Farrar,  Jr. 
Stephen  Warren. 
Jonas  Ball. 


Abraham  Ball. 
James  Sloan.-^ 
Richard  Warner. 
John  Waugh,  Jr.  i/ 
Joel  Davis,  y 
Jeremiah  Ball.^ 
Charles  Richards.    ■< 
Jesse  Ma\1iard.  v 
Nath'l  Bowers.  ^' 
Josiah  Rice.     _^ 
Abraham  Buttertield.^ 
John  Campbell,  Jr.v^ 
Jonas  Campbell. i/ 
John  Colburn*.^ 
John  Graham;"'' 
Benja.  Brooks,  Jr,'^ 
Thad's  Spaulding. 
Abijah  Hildreth. 
Abel  Green. 
Isaac  Spalding. 
William  Wallace. 
John  Giles. 
Aaron  Scott. 


About  thirty  of  the  young  men,  whose  names  appear 
in  the  above  list,  marched  to  Concord  under  Lieut.  Peter 
Butterfield,  and  were  present  at  the  time  the  court  was 
stopped. 

A  strict  search,  in  and  around  Townsend,  was  made 
tor  Butterfield,  b}^  the  -posse-comitatus  under  Colonel 
Woods  w^hen  Shattuck  was  taken,  but  he  eluded  his  pur- 
suers. During  a  part  of  this  winter,  lie  secreted  himself 
in  a  cabin  masked  with  evergreens,  on  the  hill  northwest- 
erly from  his  house,  in  plain  sight  of  the  same,  where  he 
was  apprised  of  approaching  danger  by    signals    from    his 


THE    SHAYS    REBELLION.  221 

wife.  At  length  his  retreat  was  discovered,  and  his 
pursuers  followed  his  track  on  the  snow  till  nearly  night, 
when,  getting  into  a  secluded  place  in  a  thicket,  in  the 
dusk  of  the  evening,  they  lost  sight  of  his  track  and 
abandoned  further  pursuit.  After  he  was  satisfied  that  his 
enemies  had  departed,  he  took  a  direct  course  for  the  house 
of  one  of  his  friends,  who  immediately  took  him  over  the 
line  into  New  Hampshire.  His  exertions  to  escape  flooded 
him  with  perspiration,  so  that  waiting,  in  a  frosty  atmos- 
phere, to  be  sure  that  the  officers  had  gone,  he  took  a 
violent  cold,  which  induced  rheumatism,  from  which  he 
suffered  more  or  less  during  the  remainder  of  his  life.  He 
never  was  arrested  by  the  officers,  and  there  is  no  certifi- 
cate from  an}^  magistrate,  showing  that  he  took  the  oath  of 
allegiance,  to  be  foimd,  although  the  same  file  of  papers 
in  which  these  names  were  found,  contains  the  certificates 
of  different  magistrates,  before  whom  sixty  of  these  men 
took  that  oath.  He  was  a  man  of  excellent  moral  charac- 
ter, very  industrious,  and  had  many  friends. 

The  leading  spirit  of  this  insurrection,  in  Massachu- 
setts, was  Luke  Day,  of  Springfield.  He  had  been  a 
captain  in  the  revolution,  and  was  a  popular  bar  room 
orator  in  that  town. 

Daniel  Shays,  from  whom  the  outbreak  takes  its 
name,  was  born  in  Hopkinton,  1747.  After  his  rebellion 
was  crushed  he  fled  to  Vermont,  and  afterwards  moved  to 
Sparta,  New  York,  where  he  died  September  29,  1825. 
He  was  a  pensioner  of  the  United  States,  having  been  a 
captain  in  the  revolution. 

Perhaps  there  never  was  so  much  smoke  and  so  little 
fire,  or  so  small  a  show  of  talent  or  brains  in  any  insurrec- 
tion as  in  the  Shays  Rebellion.     The  insurgents  appeared 

29 


m  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

to  dread  a  collision  with  the  troops,  during  the  whole  time 
they  were  in  arms  against  the  government.  All  the  losses 
in  this  rebellion  were — three  killed,  and  one  hundred  and 
fifty  taken  prisoners — all  Shays  men. 

At  the  next  session  of  the  General  Court  (1787),  an 
alteration  of  certain  laws  was  effected,  which  made  ever}- 
thing  satisfactory  to  the  entire  voting  population  of  the 
Commonwealth. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

ED  UCA  TIOXAL    HIS  TOB  Y. 

Early  Action  of  tlie  Town  to  Preserve  the  *•  Candlewood  " — Home 
Instruction  in  the  Log-Cabins — First  Record  of  Any  Eftort  to 
Establish  a  Public  School — First  School-House— Account  of 
Several  of  the  School-Houses— Division  of  the  Town  into  "Nine 
Squadrons"  in  1783 — First  School  Committee  in  1706 — West 
Townsend  Female  Seminary — Townsend  Academy — General  In- 
terest in  Education — Names  of  Some  Pi-omincnt  Teachers- 
Sketch   of  Hon.  Seth   Davis. 

The  settlers  of  this  town,  in  common  with  the  citizens 
of  all  the  tow^ns  in  this  Commonwealth,  displayed  much 
sagacity  in  all  matters  concerning  their  future  welfare. 
As  early  as  1734,  the  proprietors'  records  contained  the 
following  : — 

"Voted  that  Jasher  Wyman,  Lieut.  Daniel  Taylor  and 
Nathaniel  Richardson  be  a  com^'''^  to  take  effectual  care 
that  there  be  no  Strip  or  Waste  made  of  Timber^or  Tim- 
ber cutt — or  Pines  boxed,  or  Candlewood  picked  up  for 
tarr,  upon  y®  undivided  Land  ;  and  to  sue  and  Prosecute 
any  persons  whom  they  shall  find  Guilty  of  said  offences. 
Also  to  prosecute  any  persons  who  have  been  Guilty 
thereof,  or  take  satisfaction  therefor  for  y®  use  of  y*^  pro- 
prietors." 


224  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

In  connection  with  these  precautionary  measures,  one 
interesting  fact  may  be  learned  from  this  extract,  and  that 
is,  the  importance  that  was  attached  to  the  value  of  the 
"candlewood,"  or  resinous  pitch-pine,  scattered  on  the  un- 
divided land. 

Families,  at  that  time,  were  generally  quite  large, 
and  almost  every  one  of  them  constituted  a  school  by  itself. 
Around  the  capacious  fireplaces,  common  in  those  days, 
sat  the  sons  and  daughters,  in  order,  according  to  their 
age  and  advancement,  while  the  father  or  mother  acted  as 
teacher.  Their  cabin  walls,  and  the  shining  faces  of 
youth  and  beauty  within,  were  illumined  through  the  long 
winter  evenings  by  the  pine  knot  light ;  and  no  one  can  say 
that  this  training,  in  their  rude  domicils,  was  not  sufficient 
to  furnish  the  town  with  amiable  women  and  honorable 
men.  Every  opportunity  for  intellectual  improvement, 
within  their  limited  means,  was  then  turned  to  their 
advantage,  and  a  complete  exemplification  of  the  maxim 
"where  there  is  a  will  there  is  a  way"  has  come  down  to 
us  in  their  example. 

The  first  record  of  any  effort  for  a  public  school  was 
in  1744,  when  the  town  "Voted  to  raise  twenty  pounds  old 
tenor  for  the  support  of  a  school,  and  chose  two  men 
as  a  committee  to  provide  a  school-master  :  John  Conant 
chosen  first,  Josiah  Robbins  second."  The  record  further 
states  where  the  school  should  be  kept  at  different  dwelling- 
houses,  in  different  parts  of  the  town  ;  the  north  school  at 
the  house  of  Benjamin  Brooks,  the  school  at  the  middle  of 
the  town  at  Joseph  Baldwin's  and  the  south  school  at  Dan- 
iel Taylor's.  One  man,  without  doubt,  taught  the  school  at 
these  three  places.  There  is  no  record  to  show  the  name 
of  the  first  teacher  in  Townsend. 


EDUCATIONAL    HISTORY.  225 

From  1745  to  1750,  the  town  raised  twenty  pounds,  old 
tenor,  for  the  support  of  schools,  which  were  kept  at 
several  different  places.  In  1746,  the  town  "Voted  to  build 
a  school-house  on  the  highway  between  John  Wallis'  and 
Samuel  Manning's."  It  was  to  be  twenty-three  feet  long 
and  eighteen  feet  wide.  This  house  was  never  built,  or 
rather,  there  is  no  further  mention  of  any  school-house  or 
school  in  that  locality.  In  1749,  the  town  "Voted  to  raise 
£10  lawful  money  to  support  a  school,"  and  designated 
three  places  at  which  it  should  be  kept,  one  of  which  was 
"at  the  new  school-house  in  the  middle  of  the  town."  The 
foundation  of  this  first  school-house  in  Townsend  may  still 
be  seen,  on  the  easterly  side  of  the  highway,  nearly 
opposite  to  the  spot  where  the  first  meeting-house  stood. 
There  is  no  record  of  the  time  when  this  house  was  erected, 
but  probably  it  was  done  during  1747. 

From  1754  to  1766,  the  town,  each  year,  appropriated 
£8  lawful  money  for  the  support  of  a  school,  and  decided 
where  it  should  be  kept. 

In  1753,  the  records  show  that  there  was  a  "school- 
house  on  the  south  side  of  the  river,"  but  the  time  when  it 
was  built,  or  its  size,  is  not  known,  neither  can  the  precise 
spot  where  it  stood  be  pointed  out.  At  that  time,  by  far 
the  largest  part  of  the  inhabitants  of  Townsend  lived  in 
the  east  part  of  the  town,  within  three  miles  of  the  east 
line  thereof,  so  that  a  school  on  Nissequassick  hill,  one  at 
the  middle  of  the  town,  and  one  just  south  of  the  Harbor, 
would  accommodate  the  people  in  the  best  possible 
manner. 

In  1770,  "Voted  to  allow  the  north  end  of  the  town 
£12  old  tenor  of  their  school  rate  to  be  spent  with  a  school 
mistress  with  that  squadron."     There  is  nothing  on  record, 


•2'2^^  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

or  in  tradition,  whereby  the  name  of  this  teacher  can  be 
ascertained,  but  the  record,  as  far  as  it  goes,  is  interesting, 
inasmuch  as  it  shows  a  due  appreciation  of  the  worth  and 
ability  of  women,  as  educators,  more  than  one  hundred 
years  ago.  Considering  the  small  amount  of  money 
appropriated  at  that  time,  it  may  be  inferred  that  females 
did  a  large  share  of  the  work  of  teaching. 

From  the  settlement  of  the  town,  to  the  time  at  which 
we  have  arrived,  in  its  educational  history  every  oppor- 
tunity was  improved  by  the  people  to  advance  the  cause  of 
learning  and  piety. 

It  is  evident,  from  the  manner  in  which  the  town 
records  were  made  during  the  first  half  century  of  our 
municipal  existence,  that  the  town  clerks  were  men  of 
considerable  culture.  Their  chirography  will  not  suffer 
when  compared  with  their  successors,  or  even  with  the 
efforts  of  the  present  generation.  It  is  true,  that  in  some 
instances,  they  showed  bad  spelling,  but,  considering  their 
advantages,  the  wonder  is  that  they  filled  this  office  with 
so  much  credit  to  themselves  and  to  the  town. 

In  1783,  beginning  to  realize  that  the}^  had  thrown  oft' 
the  British  yoke,  and  feeling  the  spirit  of  independence 
stirring  within  them,  the  people  at  a  town  meeting  in  Mav, 
chose  a  committee  of  nine  "to  divide  the  town  into 
squadrons  for  convenience  for  schooling."  The  word 
"squadron" — meaning  districts — is  to  be  tbund  in  most  of 
the  New  England  town  records  of  the  period  now  under 
consideration.  It  is  difficult  to  understand  why  this  word 
is  used  in  this  sense,  unless  it  was  brought  over  by  the 
puritans,  who  used  it  in  their  native  country  to  express 
portions  of  a  city,  or  a  county,  laid  out  in  a  quadrangular 
manner.  The  lines  of  our  school  districts  were  verv 
irregular,  whicii  makes  the  term  still  less  appropriate. 


EDUCATIONAL    HISTORY^.  227 

The  committee  divided  the  town  into  seven  parts,  for 
school  purposes,  and  designated  the  location  of  the  several 
school-houses.  The  names  given  to  these  squadrons 
were,  the  North,  East,  South,  Bayberry  Hill,  West, 
Northwest,  and  Centre  schools. 

The  North  school-house,  made  at  that  time,  stood  at 
the  north  end  of  the  six  rod  road  over  Wallace  hill,  a  short 
distance  west  of  the  present  school-house  in  that  part  of 
the  tow^n.  About  1807,  when  the  present  house  was  built, 
that  house  was  found  to  be  too  small,  and  it  was  aban- 
doned as  a  school  building,  and  finally  sold.  It  now 
stands  on  the  said  six  rod  road,  about  one  hundred  rods 
nearly  south  of  where  it  was  built,  and  is  used  by  our 
worthy  adopted  citizen,  Mr.  Beckernort,  for  a  cooper 
shop. 

The  East  school-house  was  situated  on  the  same  road 
over  the  hill,  about  a  mile  and  a  half  south  of  the  north 
school-house.  This  was  the  most  populous  part  of  the 
town  one  hundred  years  ago.  There  are  quite  a  number 
of  old  cellars  and  foundations  for  dwellings  in  that  vicinity, 
where  once  stood  the  loved  homes  of  "kindred,  parents 
and  children,"  now  forgotten  and  unfrequented,  except  to 
gather  the  luscious  berries  that  cluster  around  the  stone 
walls  near  these  ruins. 

The  South  school-house  stood  about  a  mile  southerly 
of  the  first  bridge  west  of  the  Harbor  pond. 

The  Bayberry  Hill  school-house  was  situated  only  a 
short  distance  from  the  school-house  now  standing  in  that 
part  of  the  town. 

The  West  school-house  was  built  nearly  opposite  the 
spot  where  the  owners  of  Ash  Swamp  pass  through  a 
gate,  leading  oft'  from  the  Ashby  road,  to  approach  their 
lands. 


22  H  PISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

The  Northwest  school-house  was  situated  on  the  side 
of  the  road  leading  from  the  cemetery,  in  West  Townsend, 
to  the  old  turnpike.  On  the  south  end  of  this  house  was 
a  nice  sundial,  made  and  presented  to  this  school  by 
Hezekiah  Richardson. 

The  Centre  school-house  probably  stood  on  the  same 
foundation,  occupied  by  the  first  school-house  in  that 
district,  which,  in  1783,  had  been  built  thirty-four  or  thirtv- 
five  years,  and  it  undoubtedly  was  too  small  for  the 
accommodation  of  this  central  location. 

Most  of  these  houses  were  built  in  1784.  In  October 
of  that  year  the  town  appropriated  "£40  to  build  seven 
school  houses."  The  size  and  style  of  these  buildings 
may  be  learned  from  the  one  still  standing,  which  is 
twenty  feet  long  and  fourteen  feet  wide.  These  structures 
were  in  use  for  the  purposes  for  which  they  were  intended, 
till  the  first  years  of  the  present  century,  when  they  were 
superseded  by  a  more  commodious  and  better  class  of 
buildings. 

The  Northwest  "squadron"  did  not  build  its  house 
for  ten  or  eleven  years  after  all  the  others  were  finished. 
The  inhabitants  of  that  part  of  the  town,  then  as  well  as 
now,  were  scattered  over  a  large  territory,  and  thev 
probably  preferred  being  without  a  school,  than  raise  the 
twenty  pounds  required  to  build  their  house. 

On  all  three  roads,  leading  from  different  parts  of 
Townsend  to  Mason,  were  families  which  lived  within  a 
short  distance  of  the  state  line,  and  they  were  obliged  to 
travel  more  than  two  miles  to  reach  their  school-house. 
There  was  considerable  feeling  throughout  the  town  when 
these  districts  were  made.  It  always  has  been,  and 
probably  always  will  be,  very  difficult  to  satisfy  this  sec- 
tion of  the  town  in  its  school  accommodations. 


EDUCATIONAL    HISTORY.  229 

In  October,  1784,  "Voted  to  raise  £24  for  the  sup- 
port of  a  school,  in  addition  to  the  £6  interest  due  the 
town  for  that- purpose."  The  six  pounds  was  the  interest 
which  accrued  on  one  hundred  pounds,  left  the  town  by 
a  legacy  from  Lieut.  Amos  Whitney,  which  has  been 
mentioned  in  another  part  of  this  work.  From  this  time, 
till  1800,  the  amount  appropriated  by  the  town  tor  schools, 
varied  from  thirty  to  eighty  pounds. 

Nothing  of  importance  is  on  record  in  regard  to 
educational  affairs,  tVom  the  time  these  squadrons  were 
made  till  the  population  of  the  town  had  increased  so  that 
larger  houses  were  required. 

In  1796,  "Voted  to  choose  a  man  in  each  school 
squadron  for  a  school  committee.  Chose  Samuel  Stone, 
Jonathan  Wallace,  Life  Baldwin,  Jacob  Blodgett,  Ephraim 
Lampson,  John  Sherwin,  and  Daniel  Adams,  Esq.,  for 
said  committee." 

This  first  school  committee  chosen  in  Townsend,  was 
made  up  of  men  of  prominence  in  the  districts  to  which 
they  belonged.  What  they  lacked  in  the  higher  branches 
of  mathematics,  as  taught  at  the  present  time  in  our  gram- 
mar schools,  and  on  which  much  time  is  lost  b\'  pupils 
who  never  expect  to  fill  any  learned  profession,  they  made 
up  in  square  common  sense,  general  intelligence,  and 
integrity  of  character.  A  committee  of  this  kind  was  not 
chosen  every  year,  till  the  state  made  a  law  obliging  ever\- 
town  to  elect  a  superintending  school  committee. 

In  1797,  the  town  appropriated  $300  for  the  schools, 
and  this  was  the  sum  raised  till  1802,  when  $350  was  the 
sum.  In  1803,  $400  was  appropriated,  and  this  amount 
was  annually  repeated  till  1807,  when  $500  was  raised, 
which  sum  was  found  to  be  sufficient,  for  the  satisfaction 
of  the  town  for  school  purposes,  for  about  twenty  3^ears. 


230  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

The  school-houses  which  took  the  places  of  the 
original  seven  (of  1784),  were  made  by  the  several 
districts,  between  1802  and  18 10.  The  town  voted  to 
number  the  districts  eighteen  years  after  the  first  com- 
mittee was  chosen.  In  1814,  "chose  Rev.  David  Palmer, 
in  No.  I,  Samuel  Stone,  Jr.,  in  No.  2,  Peter  Manning,  in 
No.  3,  Abraham  Seaver,  in  No.  4,  Josiah  Richardson,  Jr., 
in  No.  5,  Aaron  Warren,  in  No.  6,  John  Scales,  in  No.  7, 
Walter  Hastings,  in  No.  8,  Samuel  Walker,  in  No.  9, 
Nathaniel  Cummings,  in  No.  10,  a  committee  of  inspect- 
ing, to  inspect  the  several  schools  in  this  town,  and  each 
district  to  choose  a  clerk,  and  the  clerks  to  notify  their 
own  district  meetings,  and  set  up  their  own  schools,  pro- 
vided they  do  it  according  to  law." 

That  the  town  elected  their  best  men  on  this  com- 
mittee ma}'  be  inferred  from  the  fact,  that  it  contained  the 
town's  minister,  one  lawyer,  and  three  justices  of  the 
peace.  And  the  town  from  that  time  to  the  present  has 
placed  men  on  this  committee,  who  have  given  their  best 
efforts  to  the  cause  of  the  common  schools. 

Soon  after  the  baptist  meedng-house,  at  West  Town- 
send,  was  erected,  the  subject  of  establishing  a  young- 
ladies'  seminary  at  that  village  began  to  be  discussed. 
The  idea  was  suggested  b}'  Mr.  Levi  Warren,  w^ho  was  at 
that  time  the  most  influential  man  in  that  section  of  Town- 
send.  In  1835,  between  thirty  and  forty  gentlemen,  a 
part  of  whom  did  not  belong  to  Townsend,  contributed 
towards  purchasing  the  land  and  erecting  the  building 
known  as  "the  Seminary."  No  sum  was  subscribed  less 
than  twenty-five  dollars,  which  was  called  a  share.  Most 
of  these  subscribers  took  one  share,  while  others  gave 
according  to  their  interest  in  education  and  the  prosperity 
of   the  village.      The   largest   contributor  was   Mr.    Levi 


EDUCATIONAL    HISTORY.  231 

Warren,  who  subscribed  for  nineteen  shares,  Charles 
Warren,  fourteen  shares,  and  Isaac  Davis,  Jacob  Sanders, 
and  Ralph  Warren,  six  shares  each.  The  building  was 
finished  in  April,  1836,  and  the  institution  was  inaugu- 
rated under  highly  favorable  circumstances,  which  more 
than  met  the  expectations  of  its  patrons  and  founders. 
On  petition,  the  General  Court  granted  the  following 
charter : — 

CoMMONW^EALTH  OF  MASSACHUSETTS.     In  the  year  of  our 
Lord  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  thirty -nine. 

An  act  to  incorporate  the   Proprietors   of   the   Townsend 
West  Village  Female  Seminary. 

Be  it  enacted  b}'  the  Senate  and  House  of  Represen- 
tatives in  General  Court  assembled  and  by  the  authority  of 
the  same  as  follows  : 

Section  i.  Levi  Warren,  Jonathan  Richardson, 
Jacob  Sanders,  and  their  associates  and  successors,  are 
hereby  made  a  corporation,  by  the  name  of  the  Proprietors 
of  the  Townsend  West  Village  Female  Seminarv,  in 
Townsend,  in  the  County  of  Middlesex,  with  all  the 
Powers  and  Privileges,  and  subject  to  all  the  duties,  re- 
strictions and  liabilities  set  forth  in  the  forty-fourth  Chapter 
of  the  Revised  Statutes. 

Section  2.  The  said  corporation  may  hold  real  and 
personal  estate  to  the  amount  of  twentv  thousand  Dollars, 
to  be  devoted  exclusively  to  purposes  of  Education. 

House  of  Representatives,  March  12,  1839. 

Passed  to  be  enacted. 

Robert  C.  Winthrop,  Speaker. 

In  the  Senate,  March  13,  1839. 

Passed  to  be  enacted. 

Myron  Lawrence.  President. 

March  13th,  1839,    approved,   Edward  Everett. 


•JoZ  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

The  lady  who  was  principal  when  the  seminary  com- 
menced its  existence,  remained  in  office  only  about  a  year, 
when  she  married  and  left  town.  Another  principal  suc- 
ceeded her  till  the  fall  term  of  1839,  when  the  trustees 
engaged  the  services  of  Miss  Ruth  S.  Robinson,  a  person 
of  excellent  judgment  and  ample  scholastic  attainments. 

Associated  with  this  principal  were  six  teachers  of 
experience  in  the  natural  sciences,  mathematics,  the 
French,  German  and  Latin  languages,  intellectual  and 
moral  philosoph}-,  the  ornamental  branches  and  music. 
This  board  of  instruction  was  selected  with  much  care  by 
a  board  of  Trustees  from  different  New  England  states. 
The  Seminary  was  under  the  auspices  of  the  baptist 
denomination,  but  it  enjoyed  the  confidence  and  patronage 
of  all  sects  and  creeds.  The  baptists  of  the  eastern  states 
and  some  from  New  York  sent  their  daughters  to  West 
Townsend  for  an  education  at  this  seminar}^  which  for 
more  than  twenty  years  was  very  popular.  In  almost 
every  state  in  the  Union  may  be  found  one  or  more 
teachers,  principals  of  high  schools  and  seminaries, 
besides  wives  of  educated  professional  men,  who  remember 
the  pleasant  days  of  their  youth,  passed  at  this,  their 
Alma  Mater. 

In  1844,  a  more  lucrative  and  responsible  position 
was  offered  to  Miss  Robinson,  when  she  resigned  her 
office.  Two  other  ladies  had  charge  of  the  seminary, 
each  in  turn,  till  1846,  when  Miss  Hannah  P.  Dodge  was 
selected  as  principal.  Miss  Dodge  is  a  native  of  Littleton, 
and  was  graduated  at  this  seminary  in  1843.  This  lady 
remained  at  the  head  of  this  institution  till  November, 
1853,  when,  at  her  solicitation  on  account  of  ill-health,  she 
was  dismissed.      During    a    larger   part   of   the    time  since 


EDUCATIONAL    HISTORY.  233 

lier  connection  with  the  seminary  was  dissolved,  she  has 
been  a  practical  educator. 

The  building  was  commodious  and  well  arranged,  its 
rooms  richly  furnished,  and  carpeted  in  a  tasteful  manner. 

The  Lesbian  Society,  for  literary  exercises  and  im- 
provement among  the  young  ladies  of  the  seminar}-,  was 
a  perfect  success. 

Belonging  to  the  institution  was  a  very  judiciously 
selected  library,  a  large  part  of  which  was  presented 
by  Messrs.  Levi  and  Charles  Warren,  and  their  baptist 
friends  in  Boston. 

In  every  particular,  it  had  no  peer  in  America,  except, 
perhaps.  Miss  Willard's  Female  Seminary,  at  Troy,  New 
York.  But  after  a  successful  existence  of  about  twenty- 
live  years, — after  it  had  shone  brightly  among  the  con- 
stellations of  the  literary  galaxy  of  its  time, — in  an  evil 
hour,  it  finally  sunk,  never  to  rise  again  from  beneath  the 
horizon  of  financial  mismanagement,  which  enshrouded 
its  exit.  Thus  this  civilizing  influence,  which  to  a  great 
extent  built  up  the  west  village,  which  gave  a  fresh 
impetus  to  our  public  schools,  and  made  Townsend  an 
objective  point  as  a  seat  of  learning  and  refinement,  was 
irretrievably  lost. 

Among  the  names  of  the  Trustees,  at  different  times, 
are  Hon.  Isaac  Davis,  Worcester,  Massachusetts,  Wil- 
liam H.  Shaler,  D.  D.,  Portland,  Maine,  Dea.  George 
Cummings,  Lancaster,  Massachusetts,  Dea.  Simon  G. 
Shipley,  Boston,  Massachusetts,  Henry  Marchant,  Esq., 
Pawtucket,  Rhode  Island,  and  S.  T.  Cutting,  Esq.,  New 
York  City. 

The  seminary  building  passed  into  the  hands  of  the 
party  which  held  the  security  on    the    property,    and   from 


234  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

1863  to  1870,  it  was  used  as  a  dwelling-house.  In  conse- 
quence of  the  act  of  the  legislature  abolishing  the  district 
system  in  1869,  the  town  in  1870  altered  the  number  and 
location  of  the  school-houses  and  bought  the  seminary 
building  and  renovated  it  for  graded  schools. 

After  the  seminary  had  been  in  successful  operation 
tor  four  or  five  years,  the  congregationalists  and  others  at 
the  centre  of  the  town,  observing  the  good  influences 
eminating  from  that  institution,  and  that  the  baptist  church 
was  much  better  filled  than  at  previous  times,  took  the 
idea  of  an  academy  at  Townsend  Centre  into  serious  con- 
sideration. First  and  foremost  in  this  enterprise,  was  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Stowell,  the  orthodox  minister.  Accordingly  at 
a  proper  time,  a  meeting  of  the  people  of  the  town,  and 
of  the  members  of  the  congregational  church  and  society 
in  particular,  a  sufficient  sum  of  money  in  addition  to  the 
quantity  of  lumber  and  materials  given  by  others  inter- 
ested, was  subscribed  to  erect  a  suitable  building.  Capt. 
Elnathan  Davis  gave  the  timber  for  the  frame,  delivered 
on  the  ground  where  it  was  erected.  The  traders  at  the 
centre  gave  the  nails,  lime  and  hardware,  so  that  the 
academy  was  built  by  a  mutual  effort  by  which  no  one 
felt  the  least  impoverished.  It  was  finished  in  the  summer 
of  1841,  and  opened  the  following  September  with  a 
respectable  number  of  students.  It  stood  on  the  north  side 
of  Main  Street,  nearly  opposite  the  bank,  on  a  part  of 
what  is  now  the  stable  yard  of  Walter  Fessenden,  Esq.  It 
was  not  so  expensive  a  structure  as  the  seminary,  but  was 
a  substantial,  well-arranged,  two-story  building,  with  a 
tower  and  bell  surmounting  it.  For  five  or  six  consecutive 
years  this  academy  received  a  good  share  of  patronage, 
and  during  the  autumn  months  a  large  number  of  scholars 
gathered  within  its  walls. 


EDUCATIONAL    HISTORY.  235 

Mr.  Noadiah  Dickinson  was  the  first  preceptor  of  this 
academy.  He  graduated  at  Amherst  college,  was  a  good 
scholar,  with  easy,  gentlemanly  manners,  calculated  to 
keep  all  his  friends  and  gain  as  many  more  as  he  desired. 
While  Mr.  Stowell  remained  in  town  he  took  much  interest 
in  this  school,  and  he  assisted  Mr.  Dickinson,  when  the 
services  of  an  additional  teacher  were  required,  in  a  man- 
ner very  acceptable  to  the  students. 

Jonathan  C.  Shattuck,  of  Dartmouth  College,  1842, 
had  charge  of  this  academy,  for  some  time. 

The  difficulty  of  supporting  two  institutions  of  similar 
character,  like  the  seminary  and  the  academy,  in  so  small 
a  town  as  Townsend  soon  became  apparent.  After  Mr. 
Stowell  and  Mr.  Dickinson  left  town,  the  interest  in  the 
academy  began  to  flag,  until  finally,  in  185 1,  the  old 
district  school-house,  situated  at  the  northeast  corner  of 
the  common,  where  the  blacksmith  shop  now  stands,  was 
much  too  small  for  the  accommodation  of  the  scholars, 
and  District  No.  i  bought  this  academy  building,  and 
moved  it  to  a  spot  on  the  north  side  of  the  road,  almost 
due  north  of,  and  opposite  to,  the  methodist  chapel.  It 
was  used  for  a  public  school-house  till  January  5,  1870, 
when  it  was  burned,  as  is  supposed,  by  an  incendiary. 
There  have  been  four  other  school-houses  burned  in  this 
town,  two  in  what  was  called  the  Potunck  District  (No.  8) , 
and  two  in  the  Harbor  District.  About  1830,  a  school- 
house  was  burned,  which  stood  about  one-fourth  of  a  mile 
southerly  from  the  bridge  over  the  river  at  the  Harbor,  in 
"  the  angle  of  land  made  by  the  divergence  of  the  Shirley 
and  "South  Row"'  roads;  and  in  1871  another  school- 
house  situated  on  the  west  side  of  the  Shirley  road, 
nearer  the  Harbor,  was  destroyed  by  fire  by  the  careless 
deposit  of  ashes. 


28()  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

Since  the  SUite  Board  of  Education  was  established, 
the  town  has  kept  pace  with  the  general  progress  of 
education  throughout  the  Commonwealth.  The  reports  of 
the  several  school  committees,  on  file  with  the  town 
records,  particularly  since  the  existence  of  the  law  re- 
quiring that  they  should  be  printed,  are  drawn  with  great 
care,  and  contain  many  valuable  suggestions. 

It  might  afford  pleasure  to  some  readers  to  see  the 
names  of  the  persons,  who,  since  the  days  of  Horace 
Mann,  the  efficient  secretary  of  the  Board  of  Education, 
have  served  on  the  school  committee  in  Townsend,  but  the 
simple  statement  of  the  fact,  that,  since  that  time  the  voters 
of  this  town  have  selected  their  best  men  on  this  com- 
mittee, will  be  considered  sufficient.*  Within  the  last 
decade  the  public  schools  have  been  very  prosperous. 

Thaddeus  Spaulding,  was  the  first  public  school 
teacher  in  this  town,  known  to  the  writer.  He  taught  the 
North  school  many  terms,  commencing  1785,  in  the 
school-house  described  in  this  chapter,  at  present  a 
cooper  shop.  Miss  Rebecca  Warren  taught  in  the  south 
part  of  the  town  previous  to  1800.  She  taught  a  long  time 
and  died  at  an  advanced  age,  unmarried.  Joel  Adams 
was  a  teacher  here  more  than  seventy-five  3^ears  ago. 

In  1808,  Seth  Davis,  Esq.,  a  native  of  Townsend,  at 
present  an  active  old  gentleman,  resident  of  West  Newton, 
taught  school  here.  A  few  years  later  Miss  Mary  Palmer, 
Miss  Betsey  Pratt,  Miss  Polly  Giles,  and  Miss  Mary 
Adams  (now  Mrs.  Bertram) ,  were  some  of  the  Townsend 
school  teachers.  Contemporaneous  with  the  last  named 
individuals,  the  male  teachers  were  Daniel  Conant,   Joel 


*In  183(i.  the  (■(.nimiffce  roiisisli'il  nl- Rov.    David    PalnuT.    Kcv.    Coliiinhus    Slnini 
•,  Rev.  .laiiu's  l',ani:il)y.  Dr.  , John  lU-rtrain.  and  Samuel  Adams. 


EDUCATIONAL    HISTORY.  237 

Giles,  John  K.  Palmer,  and  Samuel  Adams,  all  Townsend 
boys  once,  and  successful  instructors. 

Hon.  Seth  Davis  (whose  autograph  and  likeness,  in 
this  book,  were  made  after  he  was  ninety  years  of  age)  , 
was  the  son  of  Timothy  Davis,  who  was  the  son  of 
Timothy  Davis,  who  was  a  blacksmith,  a  wrought  nail 
maker  in  particular,  and  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  this 
town.  He  sold  "two  house  lots  numbering  twenty-live 
and  twenty-six,"  for  £650,  to  Daniel  Adams,  Jr.,  of 
Concord,  (now  Lincoln).  These  lots  included  all  the 
land  on  the  west  side  of  the  road,  leading  from  the  present 
dwelling-house  of  Elisha  D.  Barber,  to  Brookline,  com- 
mencing at  Darius  O.  Evans'  northeast  corner :  thence 
westerly  by  his  north  line  as  far  as  a  point  in  line  of  the 
east  line  of  "the  six  rod  way;"  thence  southerly  by  that 
line  to  the  end  of  "the.  six  rod  way;"  thence  easterly  on 
the  road  by  the  school-house,  and  northerU'  by  the  road  to 
the  place  of  beginning,  including  both  the  farms  of  Mr. 
Barber  and  Mr.  Evans,  and  all  the  land  between  the  west 
end  of  Mr.  Barber's  farm  and  the  six  rod  way.  The  deed 
"Timothy  Davis  to  Daniel  Adams,  Jr.,"  dated  November 
3,  1742,  "in  the  sixteenth  3'ear  of  His  Majestv's  reign 
George  the  Second,"  is  still  in  existence,  the  signatures  to 
which  are  well  executed,  except  that  of  Hannah  Davis, 
the  wife  of  Timoth}- ,  who  commenced  her  name  with  a 
small  //,  having  however  the  example  of  the  justice  of  the 
peace,  who  made  the  draft  of  the  deed,  who  fell  into  the 
same  error. 

Timothy,  the  grandfather  of  Seth  Davis,  died  in  this 
town,  in  1800,  aged  about  ninety  years.  Timothy  Davis, 
father  of  Seth  Davis  and  son  of  the  nail  maker,  resided  part 
of  the  time  in  Ashby,  and  part  of  the   time   in  Townsend. 


238  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

He  was  a  revolutionary  soldier,  and  a  poor  man.  Seth 
Davis  was  born  in  Ashby,  in  1787,  and  his  busy  life  of 
more  than  ninety  years,  presents  one  of  the  best  examples 
of  a  strictly  self-made  man.  It  had  never  entered  his 
mind  that  words  represented  thoughts  until  he  was  nearly 
nine  years  of  age,  when  he  was  presented  with  a  copy  of 
Robinson  Crusoe,  which,  by  dint  of  perseverance,  he  read 
and  understood,  giving  him  a  keen  relish  for  reading,  and 
a  thirst  for  knowledge.  He  passed  less  than  two  years  of 
his  life  in  the  school-room,  as  a  scholar.  He  acquired  his 
education  while  he  was  teaching  school,  and  during  the 
many  leisure  hours,  while  others  of  his  youthful  acquaint- 
ances were  after  pleasure,  in  the  sports  and  gayeties 
attractive  to  that  period  of  lile.  His  first  school  was  at 
Mason,  New  Hampshire.  In  1808,  he  taught  the  winter 
school  in  Townsend,  in  the  school-house  which  stood  in 
the  corner  of  the  Battery  road,  opposite  the  gate  entrance 
to  Ash  Swamp.  Mr.  Benjamin  Barrett,  now  eighty-five 
years  old,  attended  the  school  taught  by  Mr.  Davis  at  that 
time.  In  1809,  he  taught  the  winter  school  in  the 
Battery  school-house  (now  a  dwelling),  made  of  brick, 
on  the  opposite  side  of  the  road  and  some  further 
east  than  the  old  house.  During  the  three  succeeding 
winters  he  taught  at  Newton,  in  this  state,  where  he  had 
formed  an  acquaintance,  and  where  he  finally  settled  and 
made  himself  a  home  and  "troops  of  friends."  For  many 
years  he  was  principal  of  an  academy  at  that  place.  He 
prepared  a  primary  arithmetic,  two  or  three  thousand 
copies  being  printed  and  used  in  that  vicinity.  He  made 
an  orrery  to  explain  the  motions  of  the  heavenly  bodies, 
probably  the  first  one  used  in  this  Commonwealth,  and 
introduced  some  valuable  improvements  in  the   methods  of 


EDUCATIONAL    HISTORY.  239 

instruction.  His  whole  teaching  was  attended  with  much 
common  sense  and  wisdom,  all  his  record  and  examples 
being  worthy  of  the  highest  commendation.  About  1840, 
having  acquired  considerable  real  estate  in  the  flourishing 
town  of  his  adoption,  he  gave  up  teaching  and  attended  to 
his  property,  to  business,  and  rural  affairs. 

From  1840  to  1844,  he  was  one  of  the  county  com- 
missioners, and  during  these  three  years  he  made  all  the 
surveys  which  the  duties  of  the  board  required.  He  is 
fond  of  flowers,  gardens,  lawns,  and  all  that  is  beautiful  in 
nature.  More  than  three-fourths  of  all  the  trees  now 
growing  in  West  Newton,  including  the  stately  elms  and 
clean  sugar-maples,  which  make  its  streets  delightful,  as 
well  as  the  fruit  trees,  were  set  out  by  his  hands,  during 
every  year  of  his  life  from  1811  to  the  present  time.  His 
untiring  labors,  with  his  head  and  his  hands,  through  a 
long  life,  have  been  crowned  with  a  success  to  a  degree 
that  must  be  exceedingly  gratifying  to  a  man  of  his 
generous  and  honorable  purposes. 

He  was  married  October  27,  1810,  to  Mary  Durell. 
She  died  June  16,  1867.  On  the  first  of  July,  1868,  he 
married  Mary  J.  Glidden,  his  present  wife.  His  children 
were,  Mary  W.,  born  November  27,  1813,  died  November 
12,  1842,  and  Harris  L.,  born  Februar}-  24,  1829,  died 
March  12,  1853. 

His  ninetieth  birthday,  the  third  day  of  September 
1877,  was  observed  in  a  special  manner,  at  his  house  in 
West  Newton.  His  former  pupils,  together  with  his 
numerous  friends,  responded  enthusiastically  to  the  call, 
that  suitable  honors  should  be  shown  to  their  old  master 
and    fellow-citizen.        On   that    occasion    were    speeches, 


240  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

music    and    poems,    all    of    an    enjoyable,    cheering    and 
elevating  character. 

"The  friends   who   knew   hun   in   his    youth. 

The   tried,   the   true,   the  brave. 
Have  passed   from  earth,   like  viewless   winds. 

Where  rustling   harvests   wave; 
The   aims   his  young   ambition   craved 

His   riper  age   has  won; 
Tiie   dews   of  morn,   in   crimson  glow 

Pillow   his    setting   sun. 

"Tiie   boys   he  taught  in  other   days 

Are  boys   no   longer   now. 
Time  lovingly  has   begged   their  locks. 

And   silver   streaks  their  brow ; 
Still,  as   'mid   ruined   arch   and    fane 

In   old,   historic  lands. 
Some   shaft,   intact,    its  head   uprears.— 

Tiiis   grand   old   pillar   stands." 


CHAPTER  X. 

MILLS  AND   MANUFACTURES. 

First  Mill  in  Town  at  the  Harbor,  1733— •■Hubbard'.s  Mill"  at  West 
Townseud — Hezekiah  Richardson's  Mill  and  tlie  Variet}-  of  Bnsl- 
ness  at  that  Place— James  Giles'  Mill— Eben  Butler's  Mill- 
Daniel  Giles'  Mill,  afteiwards  Owned  by  Adams  &  Powers — 
Steam  Mill  of  Giles  &  Larkin — Steam  Mill  of  Walter  Fessen- 
den  &  Son— Sketch  of  Walter  Fessenden — The  Work  done  by 
these  Mills — Morocco  Factory  of  Abram  S.  French — Sketch  of 
Abram  S.  French— Clothiers  and  Wool  Carders — Hezekiah  Eich- 
ardson  and  his  Sons — Samuel  Whitney,  the  Inventor  of  the 
Planer — Peter  Manning,  the  Saddler — Townsend  Harbor  in  17tl(l 
— The  Tanning  Business  Carried  on  by  Several  Parties — Hats 
Made  of  Fur,  and  Palm  Leaf  Hats— Foundry  at  the  Harbor- 
Statistics  of  the  Manufactures  of  Townsend.  for  1875.  taken 
from    the  Decennial   Census. 

The  lirst  mill  in  Townsend,  was  built  at  the  Harbor, 
by  John  Stevens  and  John  Patt,  by  mutual  agreement  in 
writing,  each  binding  himself,  his  heirs  and  executors, 
to  the  other,  his  heirs  and  executors,  "to  furnish  one- 
half  of  the  labor,  timber,  stone  and  iron,  necessary  for 
the  erection  of  said  mill  for  sawing  boards;"  and  "to 
keep  the  same  in  repair  for  twenty  years.''  This  written 
agreement,  drawn  in  a  neat,  bold  hand,  worded  in  a 
scholarly  manner,  and  legally  binding  on  both  parties,  is 
now  in  the  possession  of  the  Ball  family,  which  was  con- 
nected by  marriage  with  the  Stevens  family.  The  signa- 
tures of  these  men,  and  of  two  witnesses  to  the  instrument. 


242  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

would  be  particularly  noticeable  in  a  collection  of  auto- 
graphs. John  Patt  owned  the  land  on  the  north  side  ot^ 
the  river,  and  John  Stevens  on  the  south  side  where  the 
mill  was  built.  This  agreement  was  executed  in  January, 
1733,  and  the  mill  was  built  and  completed  before  the 
thirtieth  of  November  following.  A  dam,  suitable  in 
height,  was  thrown  across  the  river  at  or  near  where  the 
stone  dam  now  stands,  which  stopped  the  water  much 
further  up  the  river  than  was  agreeable  to  the  engineering 
of  these  two  men.  A  meeting  of  the  proprietors  was 
called  in  August  of  that  year,  when  it  was  voted  to  allow 
Ephraim  Sawtell  an  "equivalent  for  such  land  as  may  be 
flowed  by  the  raising  of  the  dam." 

The  mill  was  located  a  few  rods  westerly  of  the  place 
where  the  leather-board  factory  now  stands.  A  grist-mill 
was  soon  after  put  in  this  building.  This  mill  was  sold  by 
the  builders  a  few  years  after  its  erection,  including  the 
privilege  and  a  certain  amount  of  land,  to  John  Conant, 
who  was  the  owner  and  occupant  lor  a  long  time.  The 
large  two-story  house,  now  standing  near  the  south  end  of 
the  dam,  was  built  by  this  John  Conant,  away  back  in  the 
provincial  times,  when  all  legal  documents  specifled  the 
year  of  "His  Majesty's  Reign."  This  house  was  a  tavern 
tor  manv  years.  Con  ant's  mill  had  no  competitor  in  Town- 
send,  till  about  1768,  when  a  dam  was  made  and  a  mill 
erected  on  the  south  side  of  the  Squanicook,  at  West 
Townsend,  near  the  west  side  of  the  stone  bridge.  The 
name  of  the  man  who  built  the  mill  is  unknown  to  the 
writer,  but  about  1775,  William  Hobart  was  the  proprietor. 
This  mill  was  known  in  its  day  as  "Hubbard's  mill,"  and 
it  was  burned  about  1790.  The  privilege  remained  un- 
occupied till  1798,  when  Hezekiah   Richardson  bought  the 


MILLS    AND    MANUFACTURES.  243 

property,  and  the  canal  leading  easterly  from  the  stone 
bridge  was  made,  which  remains  in  use  to  the  present 
day.  The  labor  in  excavating  this  canal  was  most  all 
done  gratuitously,  by  the  farmers  and  others,  in  consider- 
ation of  better  saw  and  grist-mill  accommodations.  Mr. 
Richardson  made  a  mill  nearly  on  the  same  site  where  a 
mill  now  stands.  The  water  at  this  mill  has  been  utilized 
for  more  different  kinds  of  business  than  at  any  other  place 
in  this  tow'n.  Here  has  been  a  saw  and  grist-mill,  a  wool 
carding  mill,  a  cotton  yarn  factory,  a  stocking  factory,  a 
machine  shop,  and  a  leather-board  mill,  the  last  being  the 
present  business. 

James  Giles  had  a  small  mill,  where  the  kit  mill  of 
A.  M.  Adams  now  stands,  as  early  as  1787  ;  and  about 
the  same  time  Major  Samuel  Stone,  of  Ashb}',  built  a  mill 
on  Willards  stream,  in  the  fork  of  the  two  roads  leading 
to  Ashby.  Afterwards  this  mill  was  owned  by  Eben 
Butler,  of  whom,  in  1819,  Benjamin  Barrett  and  son 
bought  this  property.  They  demolished  the  old  mill, 
made  a  stone  dam,  and  the  second  mill  at  this  place. 
Quite  recently  a  mill,  three  stories  in  height,  and  rather 
capacious,  was  built  here  ;  and  in  1871,  another  stone  dam, 
further  up  the  stream,  was  made  for  reservoir  purposes,  bv 
which  the  privilege  was  much  enhanced  in  value.  This 
mill  is  now  used  for  the  manufacture  of  coopers'  stock, 
and  owned  by  Lewis  Sanders,  who  built  it. 

In  181 7,  Daniel  Giles  erected  a  mill  on  the  spot  now 
occupied  at  the  Centre  for  a  grain  elevator.  This  mill  has 
not  passed  through  many  hands,  although  it  has  been 
enlarged  and  greatly  improved.  Adams  &  Powers  were 
the  next  owners,  and  at  present,  Alfred  M.  Adams,  a  son 
of   the    senior   partner  of  the  above  firm,  is  the  proprietor. 


244  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

For  the  last  half  of  a  century,  this  saw  and  grist-mill,  in 
connection  with  the  coopering  business,  and  on  account  of 
its  central  location  in  relation  to  a  market  for  flour  and 
meal,  has  done  the  most  business  of  any  mill  in  this  town. 
Soon  after  Daniel  Giles  disposed  of  this  mill,  he  built  a 
steam  mill  on  the  west  side  of  the  Brookline  road,  about 
half  a  mile  northerly  of  the  common,  where  a  new  build- 
ing erected  for  a  mill  now  stands.  This  mill  w^as  not  long 
in  operation  before  it  was  burned,  and  he  lost  heavily  by 
the  fire.  The  citizens  of  the  town,  and  his  friends,  with 
much  sympathy  for  the  loser,  contributed  liberally  to  his 
relief,  so  that  with  the  money,  he  purchased  a  shell  of  a 
mill  at  Sharon,  New  Hampshire,  and  removed  it  on  to  the 
same  spot  where  his  mill  was  burned.  This  building  was 
converted  into  a  steam  mill  for  the  purpose  of  making 
coopering  stock,  and  was  run  by  the  firm  of  Giles  & 
Larkin,  until  the  death  of  Mr.  Giles,  in  1858,  when  Mr. 
Edwin  A.  Larkin  bought  the  property  and  continued  the 
coopering  business.  Through  the  carelessness  of  an 
engineer,  or  the  wickedness  of  one  of  his  enemies  who 
intended  to  destroy  his  reputation,  or  perhaps  his  life,  the 
boiler  burst  in  this  mill,  in  May,  1862,  killing  three  men, 
and  tearing  out  one  side  of  the  mill,  besides  doing  con- 
siderable other  damage.  This  mill  was  taken  down,  1874, 
and  the  present  structure  on  its  site,  put  in  its  place. 

In  1867,  a  large  two-story  and  basement  factory  for 
manufacturing  coopers'  stock  of  all  kinds,  operated  by 
steam,  was  built  at  the  centre  of  the  town  by  Walter 
Fessenden  &  Son.  This  mill  gave  employment  to  about 
thirty  workmen.  The  building,  motive  power,  machinery, 
and  everv  facility  for  the  manufacture  of  this  stock,  was 
first   class.      Except    the    usual    vacation    of    fcnir    or   five 


^    ^#'' 


^ZM^  ^y/^^^-^^c^cy^;yH 


MILLS    AND    MANUFACTURES.  245 

weeks,  it  was  kept  running  during  the  year.  In  August, 
1874,  ^^^^  "''^^^  ^^^  burned,  the  fire  being  undoubtedly  the 
work  of  an  incendiary.  This  large  structure  was,  at  that 
time,  full  of  combustible  goods,  made  from  pine  lumber. 
There  was  no  wind  ;  the  evening  was  dark  during  the  fire 
which  raged  furiously  ;  when  the  roof  fell  in,  a  gleaming 
and  hissing  sheet  of  flame  shot  upward  to  the  sky,  which 
was  visible  for  a  long  distance  around.  Had  the  fire 
happened  when  the  wind  blew,  or  any  time  except  when 
the  mill  yard  and  surrounding  roofs  were  wet,  the  central 
village  would  have  been  reduced  to  ashes.  The  factory 
now  standing  on  the  same  site,  altered  slightly  in  its 
architectural  proportions  from  the  model  of  the  mill  that 
was  burned,  was  finished  and  commenced  running, 
February  4,  1875. 

Hon.  Walter  Fessenden  was  born  September  20,  1813. 
He  obtained  his  education  at  the  people's  college — the 
common  school — where  a  great  majority  of  our  prominent 
business  men  take  their  "degrees"  of  good  sense  and  self- 
reliance.  A  certain  prominent  educator  was  once  asked 
what  studies  should  be  taken  by  boys.  Said  he,  "Teach 
them  that  which  they  will  practice  when  they  become 
men."  Mr.  Fessenden  received  just  that  kind  of  an 
education.  He  lived  more  than  two  miles  from  the  school- 
house,  during  his  boyhood,  while  the  school  terms  were 
much  shorter  than  at  present,  so  that  his  educational 
advantages  were  rather  limited.  During  his  minority  he 
learned  the  coopers'  trade,  a  vocation  which  he  plied  with 
success,  having  large  vitality  and  muscular  strength.  Up 
to  1845,  he  just  made  the  two  pages  of  the  ledger  balance, 
though    occasionally    it   was    up  grade    with    him.       The 

32 


■24()  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

impetus  given  to  business  by  the  California  excitement  in 
1849.  and  other  causes  operating  in  his  favor,  established 
him  in  the  coopering  business  so  that  he  began  to  employ 
quite  a  number  of  men  in  that  branch  of  industry. 

"•There  is  a  tide  in  the  aftairs  of  men.  which. 
Taken  at  the  ttood  leads  on  to  fortune." 

The  number  of  his  operatives,  and  the  amount  of  his 
trade,  began  to  increase,  so  that  he  soon  did  a  heavy 
business,  shipping  his  goods  to  California,  Nova  Scotia, 
Newfoundland,  and  even  to  the  Sandwich  Islands,  be- 
sides supplying  his  share  \o  the  usual  trade  of  the  cities 
on  the  coast.  In  1859,  ^^^^  ^"^^  ^^  Walter  Fessenden  & 
Son  was  formed,  since  which  time  Albert  L.  Fessenden 
has  been  the  junior  partner.  This  is  the  leading  manu- 
facturing firm  in  this  town  ;  and  up  to  1875,  fi'om  sixt}^  to 
eighty  men  have  been  in  its  employment  as  laborers, 
woodsmen,  teamsters,  millers,  and  coopers,  who  have 
converted  many  thousand  cords  of  pine  lumber  into  goods 
which  have  tbund  a  read}-  market.  Walter  Fessenden 
was  one  of  the  most  influential  men  in  securing  from  the 
Legislature  a  charter  for  the  Townsend  Bank.  This  in- 
stitution has  been  under  his  charge,  as  president,  for  more 
than  twenty  3'ears,  during  which  time  it  has  paid  good 
dividends  and  added  a  surplus  of  about  forty  per  cent,  to 
its  capital  stock.  In  1865,  it  became  a  National  Bank,  in 
conformity  to  the  United  States  laws.  In  1856,  he  w'as  a 
member  of  the  National  Democratic  Convention  at  Cin- 
cinnati, when  Mr.  Buchanan  was  nominated;  and  again, 
in  i860,  he  was  chosen  a  delegate  to  the  National  Demo- 
cratic Convention  which  assembled  at  Charleston,  South 


MILLS    AND    MANUFACTURES.  247 

Carolina,  where  he  was  an  unfaltering  Douglas  man.  In 
1861,  he  was  chosen  a  member  of  the  Massachusetts 
Senate.  He  is  fond  of  travel  having  been  two  or  three 
times  to  the  Pacific  slope,  and,  during  the  summer  and  fall 
of  1874,  he  made  the  tour  of  Europe,  in  company  with 
a  part  of  his  family.  He  married  Harriet  E.  Lewis, 
February  6,  1838. 

It  appears  unnecessary  to  pursue  the  description  of 
the  Townsend  lumber  mills  any  further,  although  many 
have  had  their  "exits  and  entrances"  since  the  town  was 
settled.  The  coopering  business,  for  the  last  fifty  years, 
has  kept  these  establishments  hard  at  work  during  a  large 
part  of  the  year.  The  timber  is  converted  into  barrels, 
shooks,  kegs,  kits,  tubs,  and  pails,  which,  after  shipment 
to  the  various  cities  of  the  United  States,  are  filled  with 
fruit,  fish,  syrup,  spices,  edibles  of  different  kinds, 
chemicals,  various  manufactures  and  products,  from 
whence  they  go  on  the  wings  of  commerce  to  every  market 
known  to  the  enterprising  American  merchant. 

In  1833,  Abram  S.  French  built  a  morocco  factorv, 
on  the  brook  running  northeasterly  from  Bayberr\-  hill, 
near  its  junction  with  the  river,  and  near  where  James 
Giles  built  his  saw-mill,  described  in  this  chapter.  He 
erected  a  dam  on  this  brook,  which  afforded  sufiicient 
water  to  operate  a  fulling-mill  during  the  largest  part  of 
the  3'ear.  This  establishment  was  in  successful  operation 
till  1853,  employing  constantly  ten  or  twelve  workmen: 
and  from  the  fact  of  a  continuation  of  twent}'  years  in  the 
trade,  the  presumption  is  that  the  business  was  a  source  of 
wealth  to  the   proprietor. 


248  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

Abram  S.  French  was  born  in  Boston,  in  1809.  His 
mother  was  a  daughter  of  Isaac  Kidder,  of  Townsend, 
where  he  has  resided  most  of  the  time  during  his  life. 
He  made  one  or  two  voyages  to  the  West  Indies,  as  a 
cabin  boy,  but  not  being  captivated  with  a  maritime  life, 
he  was  sent  to  New^  Ipswich,  New  Hampshire,  where  he 
acquired  a  good  academical  education.  Preferring  to  enter 
business  rather  than  pursue  a  course  of  study  for  a  pro- 
tession,  and  having  a  taste  for  rural  pursuits,  he  carried 
on  a  farm  for  a  few  years.  After  closing  up  his  morocco 
dressing  business,  before  mentioned,  he  stocked  a  tannery 
at  Lockport,  New  York,  and  carried  on  business  success- 
fully at  that  place  with  a  partner  to  whom  he  sold  his 
interest  in  the  trade.  He  then  went  to  Wellsville,  New 
York,  and  built  a  large  tannery,  and  pursued  that  branch 
of  industry  for  several  years  very  profitably  to  himself, 
leaving  it  most  of  the  time  in  charge  of  a  reliable  and 
competent  superintendent.  Partially  losing  his  health, 
and  seeing  a  good  chance  to  sell,  in  1864,  he  disposed  of 
this  factory  and  its  stock  in  trade,  and  retired  from 
business.  The  prices  of  everything  being  inflated  b}-  the 
paper  currency  caused  by  the  war,  leather  was  worth 
more  than  double  when  he  sold  compared  with  its  cost 
when  he  built  the  factory.  He  married  Lois  P.  Richard- 
son, in  1831,  and  although  they  have  always  had  an 
abundance  of  wealth  and  friends,  they  have  been  severely 
bereaved  by  the  loss  of  four  of  their  six  children  ;  a  son  in 
the  rebellion,  two  daughters,  each  about  twenty  years  of 
age,  and  a  daughter  in  childhood.  Mr.  French  has 
always  been  fond  of  books,  which  during  the  days  of  bad 
health  have  been  a  source  of  much  pleasure  to  him.  He 
has    a   retentive    memory — is    well   posted  in   history,   and 


3RWWv 


.^y,x.^^ 


MILLS    AND    MANUFACTURES.  249 

possesses  a  large  amount  of  miscellaneous  information. 
During  the  holidays  he  may  be  seen  dispensing  his  gifts 
among  his  friends,  and  particularly  to  those  who  are  in 
need  of  assistance.  In  1861  and  1862,  he  was  the  repre- 
sentative in  the  Legislature,  for  Townsend  and  Ashby. 

Nathan  Carlton  was  a  clothier,  at  the  Harbor,  as  early 
as  1790,  and  the  mill  where  he  obtained  his  power  stood 
where  Spaulding's  planing  mill  is  now  situated.  He  was 
in  business  for  considerable  time  and  his  house  stood  on  or 
near  the  spot  where  Abel  Eaton's  house  was  recently 
burned.  Silas  Lawrence  followed  him  in  the  same  trade 
and  at  the  same  place.  In  182 1,  Paul  Gerrish  took 
possession  of  the  property  which  he  enlarged  and  im- 
proved. He  put  in  a  wool  carding  machine,  a  spinning 
jenny,  and  a  loom,  or  looms,  and  engaged  in  the  manu- 
facture of  woolen  goods,  with  good  success.  This  gentle- 
man was  one  of  the  most  prominent  citizens  of  the  town. 
He  was  a  justice  of  the  peace,  and  one  of  the  selectmen 
quite  a  number  of  years.  In  1832,  he  represented  Town- 
send  in  the  Legislature.  An  accurate  town  officer  and  an 
exemplary  man.  He  continued  in  this  branch  of  industr^■ 
more  than  twenty  years. 

About  1807,  Jonathan  Richardson  came  into  the 
possession  and  ownership  of  the  saw  and  grist-mill  erected 
by  Hezekiah  Richardson  &  Sons,  which  stood  a  few  rods 
easterly  of  the  present  leather-board  factory.  Connected 
with  this  building  was  an  ell,  or  wing,  which  contained  the 
first  wool  carding  machine  ever  in  operation  in  this  town. 
Previous  to  this  time,  most  of  the  wool  produced  in  town 
was  carded  at  the  mills  in  Pepperell  or  Groton  ;  the  rolls 
of  wool  were  then  returned  to  the  farmers'  wives  who 
spun  it  with  Richardson's  "patent  head,"  and  wove   it  into 


250  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

cloth,  which  was  put  into  the  hands  of  the  clothier  for 
coloring  and  dressing.  Capt.  Josiah  G.  Heald  was  the 
owner  of  this  machine.  He  was  a  clothier,  and  he 
continued  in  that  trade  and  wool  carding  more  than  a 
quarter  of  a  century.  He  had  the  confidence  of  the  people, 
gave  strict  attention  to  his  business,  and  was  much 
respected. 

Hezekiah  Richardson,  (born  in  Townsend,  1741.) 
and  his  sons  Zaccheus,  Hezekiah,  and  Levi,  were 
ingenious  mechanics.  A  part  of  their  business  was 
chairmaking,  and  the  manufacture  of  spinning-wheels, 
both  for  wool  and  flax.  The  house  in  which  Hezekiah, 
senior,  lived,  is  now  standing  about  a  third  of  a  mile 
northwest  from  the  "turnpike  bridge,"  on  the  premises, 
triangular  in  shape,  surrounded  on  its  three  sides  by  public 
highways.  It  was  built  about  1746,  has  always  been 
occupied  by  a  family,  and  remains  to  this  day  a  com- 
fortable dwelling-house.  These  three  sons  were  born  in 
this  house,  between  1770  and  1776. 

Levi  constructed  a  wool  spinning-wheel  with  an  extra 
gear,  which  was  patented.  It  was  a  favorite  with  the 
women,  and  was  known  among  them  as  "the  patent  head.'" 
He  was  also  the  inventor  of  a  set  of  sliding  blocks,  which, 
after  a  log  was  put  upon  the  saw  carriage  and  the  saw  put 
in  motion,  would  set  for  each  board  till  the  whole  log  was 
sawed.  Through  the  influence  of  General  Varnum,  of 
Dracut,  a  member  of  Congress  from  this  district  at  that 
time,  he  obtained  a  patent  on  this  invention. 

Soon  after  the  close  of  the  revolution,  the  Warrens, 
and  others,  were  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  potash, 
and  this  business  was  followed  in  a  profitable  manner  till 
about  1820,  when  wood  became  more  ^•aluable. 


MILLS    AND    xMANUFACTURES.  251 

Previous  to  the  commencement  of  the  present  century, 
the  principal  branch  of  industry  of  .the  town,  from  which 
was  derived  the  greatest  amount  of  money,  was  the  manu- 
facture of  beef,  pork,  and  rum  barrels.  These  casks  were 
drawn  to  market,  at  Boston,  by  ox  teams,  usually  about 
four  days  being  spent  in  making  the  journey. 

Within  the  last  fifty  years  most  of  the  families  in  this 
town  manufactured  woolen  goods  for  their  own  clothing. 
A  tailoress  would  be  in  attendance  with  these  families, 
once  a  year,  and  make  these  woolens  into  clothing  for 
its  members.  So  with  regard  to  boots  and  shoes.  The 
farmers  sent  their  hides,  marked  so  as  to  be  recognized,  to 
the  tanners,  where  they  were  made  into  leather.  A  boot 
and  shoemaker  would  go  around  to  each  house  and  make 
those  goods,  sufficient  for  a  years  stock,  for  the  family. 

Samuel  Whitney,  of  this  town,  was  the  inventor  of 
what  is  known  as  the  Woodworth  planer.  He  spent 
considerable  time  and  money  on  this  machine.  He  had  a 
model  made  by  a  competent  machinist,  which  did  the 
work  admirabh',  and  he  intended  to  secure  a  patent  on  the 
same,  but  while  he  delayed  in  attending  to  that  business, 
and  dreaming  about  the  fortune  he  hoped  to  make  by  it,  a 
dishonest  man  stealthily  invaded  the  premises  in  which  the 
model  was  stored,  took  drawings  and  admeasurements  of 
it,  from  which  another  model  was  made  and  sent  to 
Washington,  and  a  patent  was  taken  out  in  another  man's 
name.  By  this  bold  and  villainous  theft,  Mr.  Whitnev 
was  defrauded  out  of  the  benefit  of  his  ingenious  and 
useful  invention. 

In  the  days  of  equestrianism,  practiced  by  both  sexes, 
when  pleasure  wagons  were  unknown,  a  saddler  was 
almost  as  indispensable  in  every  town  as  a  minister. 


252  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

In  1787,  Peter  Manning  was  engaged  in  this  trade  at 
the  Harbor.  His  house  and  shop,  all  in  one  building, 
stood  where  Charles  Emery  now  resides.  He  is  repre- 
sented as  a  very  polite  gentleman,  a  skilful  mechanic,  and 
a  good  singer  ;  but  he  rebelled  against  the  practice  of  al- 
ternate reading  and  singing  the  lines  of  the  hymn,  which 
was  the  custom  in  public  service  on  the  sabbath.  Through 
his  influence,  that  fashion  was  laid  aside. 

At  that  time,  Townsend  Harbor  was  the  only  col- 
lection of  houses  in  town  which  could  be  called  a  village. 
It  contained  a  tavern,  the  large,  old  house  (now  standing) , 
at  or  near  the  south  end  of  the  dam  at  the  river,  kept  by 
John  Conant,  a  very  popular  landlord  ;  a  saw  and  grist- 
mill, a  blacksmith  shop,  a  clothier  (1790),  a  tanner,  a 
trader,  (Life  Baldwin,  in  1788,)  who  occupied  the  build- 
ing for  a  store,  which  is  painted  red  and  stands  on  the 
north  side  of  the  road,  nearly  opposite  to  Jonas  Spaulding's 
counting-room.  This  was  the  first  store  in  Townsend, 
and  its  proprietor  at  that  time,  Mr.  Baldwin,  was  a  man  of 
good  influence.  He  was  town  clerk  and  one  of  the  select- 
men of  this  town  for  several  years. 

About  the  commencement  of  the  present  century, 
there  was  quite  a  heavy  growth  of  pitch-pine  where  the 
central  village  now  stands,  the  nearest  houses  to  which 
were  the  red  house,  now  standing  on  the  north  side  of  the 
road,  just  south  of  the  Walker  pond,  so  called,  and  two  or 
three  small  dwellings  situated  at  the  westward  of  the  old 
burying  ground,  or  in  that  vicinity. 

At  the  west  village,  that  now  is,  the  hotel  now  stand- 
ing and  two  or  three  houses,  constituted  all  the  buildings 
of  that  locality.  The  borders  of  the  town,  at  that  time, 
probablv  contained  as  many  inhabitants  as  at  the  present 
time. 


MILLS    AND    MANUFACTURES.  253 

In  1789,  Capt.  Timothy  Fessenden  was  engaged  in 
the  tanning  business  on  land  now  owned  by  Harriet  Read, 
near  the  north  end  of  the  dam  over  the  Squanicook,  at  the 
Harbor.  John  and  Samuel  Billings,  of  Lunenburg,  were 
interested  in  this  property,  but  whether  as  part  owners, 
mortgagees,  or  otherwise,  is  unknown.  John  Jewett  fol- 
lowed Fessenden  in  this  business,  till  about  1808,  when 
Oliver  Read  bought  the  place  and  worked  at  the  same 
trade  till   about    1827. 

Soon  after  1800,  Benjamin  Pierce  started  a  tannerv 
near  the  first  little  brook  crossing  the  road  leading  from 
the  depot,  at  West  Townsend,  to  the  post  office  in  that 
village.  It  stood  on  the  north  side  of  the  road.  Several 
proprietors  followed  him  in  the  business,  among  whom 
were  George  Hartwell,  Levi  Stearns  (about  1825),  and 
iVlexander  Lewis  (about  1828). 

The  amount  of  business  done  in  these  establishments 
varied  from  one  to  two  thousand  dollars  per  annum.  In 
1827,  Curtis  Stevens  bought  the  mill,  supplied  bv  water 
from  "Willards  stream,"  in  the  fork  of  the  Ashbv  roads 
(where  Lewis  Sanders'  mill  now^  stands), — built  tan  vats 
on  the  north  side  of  the  mill  and  udlized  the  water  power 
to  grind  bark  and  for  other  purposes  in  the  tanning  busi- 
ness, w^hich  he  pursued  till  about  1835. 

John  Orr,  in  1854,  erected  quite  a  large  two-story  and 
attic  building  near  the  railroad  track  at  West  Townsend 
Depot  for  a  tannery,  which  was  operated  by  steam  power. 
He  employed  five  or  six  workmen  in  the  business  till  1858, 
when  the  property  went  into  the  hands  of  a  firm  under  the 
name  of  Freeman  &  Avery.  These  men  increased  the 
business,  constantly  employing  fifteen  or  twenty  operatives. 
They    shipped  a  large   amount    of    their    goods    into    the 


254  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

market,  but  they  were  not  tirst-class  tinanciers,  and  did 
not  meet  with  the  success  which  they  anticipated. 

In  1864,  this  estabhshment  was  bought  by  George 
Taft,  who  retained  the  foreman,  and  some  of  the  workmen 
under  the  firm  which  preceded  him,  and  he  went  on  with 
the  business.  The  building  and  finished  stock  contained 
in  it  were  burned  in  1868,  but  in  due  time  Mr.  Taft  built 
another  structure,  of  about  the  same  dimensions  and  on 
the  same  site,  which  remained  about  three  years,  when 
that  also  was  burned.  Since  that  time  the  ruins  of  this 
factory  have  remained  undisturbed.  Within  the  last 
quarter  of  a  century  this  branch  of  industry  in  Massachu- 
setts has  been  concentrated  into  a  tew  places,  like  Woburn, 
and  other  populous  towns,  containing  heavy  capitalists, 
with  whom  competition  is  next  to  impossible. 

Soon  after  the  old  meeting-house  was  moved  on  to  the 
common  (1804),  a  blacksmith,  a  tinsmith,  and  a  hatter, 
set  up  their  several  trades,  near  each  other,  just  west  of 
the  Goss  bridge,  at  the  centre  of  the  town. 

Eben  Wilder,  the  hatter,  lived  on  the  spot  now  owned 
and  occupied  by  Americus  Lawrence.  His  hats  were 
"felt"  throughout  the  town,  and  none  of  them,  while  in 
his  possession  ever  contained  a  "brick"  inside,  tor  he  was 
"brim"  full  of  temperance  and  moderation.  Had  he  lived 
till  1832,  he  might  have  seen  the  dexteritv  witii  which  the 
farmers'  wives  and  daughters  turned  out  the  palm-leaf 
hats  with  their  nimble  fingers.  At  that  time  more  than 
three-fourths  of  the  families  in  this  town  contained  one  or 
more  persons,  sometimes  three  or  four,  who  braided  palm- 
leaf  hats  nearly  all  the  time. 

David  P.  Livermore,  a  trader  at  the  Harbor,  intro- 
duced this  branch  of  industrv  into  this  town.      The  women 


MILLS    AND    MANUFACTURES.  255 

and  children  braided  these  hats,  and  took  their  wages  in 
goods  from  his  store. 

Mr.  John  Snow  was  the  first  trader  at  the  centre  of 
the  town,  who  furnished  leaf  to  be  manufactured  into  hats. 
The  other  storekeepers  soon  followed,  and  this  enterprise 
furnished  employment  for  many  people  in  Townsend,  and 
the  two  northern  towns  in  New  Hampshire  which  join  it, 
who  had  scarcely  any  other  method  of  earning  any  money. 
From  1855  to  i860,  while  Mr.  Daniel  Adams  was  in  trade 
at  the  centre  of  the  town,  the  entire  business  in  this  line 
passed  through  his  hands.  He  sold  yearly,  from  twelve 
to  fifteen  thousand  dozen  of  palm-leaf  hats,  a  large  portion 
of  which  went  to  the  southern  states,  and  were  worn  by 
those  people  who  at  one  time  in  our  national  histor}'  were 
known  as  "intelligent  contrabands,"  but  more  recently 
have  been  the  principal  stock  in  trade  of  a  victorious  and 
enthusiastic  political  party. 

About  1830,  Beriah  Blood  and  Reuben  Farrar  came 
from  Concord  to  the  Harbor,  and  bought  the  Conant  mill. 
Soon  after,  they  moved  a  large  barn,  standing  near  by  on 
the  south  side  of  the  river,  and  set  it  up  in  their  mill  yard, 
near  the  side  of  the  road,  and  converted  it  into  a  Ibundry. 
Quite  a  sum  of  money  was  invested  in  the  building  and 
stock.  Albert  S.  Page  commenced  the  business,  which 
afterwards  was  in  the  possession  of  several  different  men 
and  different  firms.  At  one  time,  the  establishment  turned 
out  a  large  quantity  of  goods.  The  Wards,  two  brothers, 
there  for  a  while,  were  experienced  workmen,  and  gave 
character  to  their  goods  in  that  branch  of  industry.  There 
always  appeared  to  be  a  lack  of  capital  in  the  hands  of 
the  owners  of  this  foundry,  to  prosecute  the  business  in  a 
successful  manner.     About  1852,  it  was  burned  while  the 


256  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

Woods  brothers,  (the  raih-oad  contractors,)  were  the 
owners. 

The  foregoing  synopsis  of  the  different  businesses  and 
enterprises,  which  have  engaged  the  attention  of  the 
Townsend  people,  has  been  prepared  with  all  the  care 
and  attention  that  could  be  given  to  the  subject.  A  large 
part  of  the  manufactures  and  trades,  described  here 
partially,  were  begun  and  ended  before  any  considerable 
portion  of  the  present  inhabitants  were  born.  Only  a  few 
venerable  forms,  which  bear  "the  human  face  divine," 
have  come  down  to  us  through  the  generations,  which 
were  the  least  cognizant  to  the  various  interests,  which,  in 
the  days  of  yore,  were  so  important.  "Heaven  has  so 
bountiously  lengthened  out  the  days"  of  Miss  Mary  Palmer, 
Miss  Hannah  Seaver,  Mr.  Samuel  Searl,  Mr.  Benjamin 
Barrett,  Mr.  Seth  Davis,  and  a  few  others,  that  certain 
interesting  facts  have  been  drawn  from  the  repositories  in 
their  remembrance,  which  have  been  of  great  assistance 
to  the  writer. 

It  is  remarkable  how  soon  a  few  years  will  sweep  into 
oblivion  the  dates  of  events  which  once  were  of  thrilling 
interest  to  the  whole  community.  A  friend  when  laid  in 
the  ground  has  the  time  of  his  departure  indented  on  the 
faithful  marble  that  perpetuates  his  memory,  but  no  monu- 
ment is  ever  erected  on  the  spot,  once  cheered  by  the 
hum  of  happy  industry,  where  a  mill  has  rotted  down,  or 
been  swept  away  by  fire  or  flood  ;  neither  is  there  any 
record  of  the  event,  and,  generally,  unless  the  searcher 
after  the  date  can  obtain  an  interview  Avith  some  intelligent 
mother  who  recollects  that  "it  was  the  same  year  that  my 
Mary  was  born,"  he  can  scarcely  ever  with  certainty  hx  the 
date.  It  has  been  considered  in  good  taste,  inasmuch  as 
this  is  the  centenarv  of  our  nationalitv,  to  insert  here,  the 


MILLS    AND    MANUFACTURES. 


25' 


statistics  of  the  manufactures  and  occupations  of  the  town, 
as  brought  out  by  the  Massachusetts  decennial  census  of 
1875.  This  statistical  table  will  supersede  the  necessity  of 
a  single  word  further  on  the  manufacturing  interests  of 
the  town  : — 

STATISTICS  OF  MANUFACTURES. 
Massachusetts  Census  of  1875. 

TOWN    OF    TOWNSEND COUNTY    OF    MIDDLESEX. 


Estab- 
lish- 
ments. 

Capital 
Invested. 

Value 

of  Goods 

made. 

MANUFACTURES. 
Barrels,  Half  Barrels  and  Kegs, 

II 

I 
5 

I 

4 

I 
2 

24 
12 

$202,700 
1,200 
3,000 

20,000 
20,800 
12,000 
380 
10,000 

4,800 
3.500 
432 
1,000 
1,900 
2,000 
3,000 

$270,080 
16.632 

$344,-54 
1,096 
6  000 

Clothing    Men's  Custom-made, 

Hats,   Palm-leaf, 

1,596 

15,600 

25,348 

20,000 

800 

Leather-Board, 

LuMiiFR    Shingles    Laths  etc.. 

Meal,  Corn,  Rye  and  Wheat, 

Tinware, 

23,300 

8,870 

14,875 
2,800 
3.250 
4,090 
2,500 

OCCUPATIONS. 

Butcherin(t 

Harness  and  Saddle  Repairing, 

Tinsmithing, 

AGGREGATE. 

$437,994 

Occupations,  (work  done,) 

36 

$286,712 

$480,579 

DESCRIPTION  AND  QUANTITY  OF  GOODS  MADE IN  PART. 

Half  fish  barrels,  68,077  ^^'Y  ^^^^^  ^^id  flour 

Fish  kegs,  105,974  barrels,                   3^250 

Dry  half  barrels,  9^55^  Nail  and  mustard 

Nail  kegs,  4,786  kegs,                       I?ii3 


258                                   HISTORY    OF  TOWNSEND. 

Fish  kits,                      306,000  Emery  kegs    and 

Kegs,                             191,000  barrels,                      400 

Half  flour  barrels,          1^390  Quarter  fish  drums,      2,500 

Barrels,                            10,272  Bread  boxes,                   2,500 

Molasses  kegs,              71,028  Tubs,                              30,000 

Half  barrels,               193,963  Pails,                               28,000 

Salt  barrels,                         200  Butter  tubs,                   45,000 
Paint  kegs,                       i»i50 

V^alue  of  stock  used  (in  the  town),  $249,849 

DESCRIPTION    AND    VALUE    OF    STOCK    USED IN    PART. 

Lumber,                       $75,040  Staves,                          $60,897 

Hoops,                            40,659  Heads,                            28,723 


Total,  $205,319 

Value  of  buildings   used  for  manufacturing 

purposes,  $89,000 

Value  of  average  stock  on  hand  in  manufac- 
turing establishments,  $87,630 

V^alue  of  machinery  in  use,  $51,725 

MOTIVE    POWER. 

Steam  engines,  3  ;  nominal  horse  power,  172  ;  actual  292. 
Water  wheels,  19  ;  nominal  horse  power,  447. 

PERSONS    EMPLOYED. 

In  manufactures,   males  283  :    females  8. 
In  occupations,      males     21  ;    females  o. 

Totals,  304.  8. 


CHAPTER   XI. 

WAB    OF   THE  liEBELLIOX. 

Uabkluess  of  the  Politicians  Previous  to  the  Rebellion— Stupendous 
Effort  of  Massachusetts  in  Suppressing  It — War  a  Terrible  Agent 
in  Civilization — Call  for  a  Town  Meeting.  April  20th,  1861 — 
Patriotic  Resolves  of  the  Town — Names  of  the  Men  who  En- 
listed in  June.  1861,  and  were  Mustered  into  the  Sixth 
Massachusetts  Volunteers — Men  of  the  Twentv-Sixth  Massachu- 
setts Regiment— Account  of  the  Thirtj'-Tliird  Regiment,  and 
the  Townsend  men  in  the  same — Re-enlistment  of  the  Nine 
Months  Men  in  the  Old  Sixth  Regiment,  in  August,  1862 — The 
Fifty-Tliird  Regiment  of  Massachusetts  Volunteers  for  Nine 
Months— Sketch  of  Capt.  Anson  D.  Fessenden — Names  and 
Terms  of  Service  of  Townsend  Men  in  Various  Regiments — 
Roll  of  Townsend  Men  Belonging  to  the  Twenty-Fourth  Massa- 
chusetts Heavy  Artillery — Roll  of  the_  One  Hundred  Days  Men 
who  Enlisted  July  7.  1864— Patriotism  of  our  Young  Men,  and 
the  Number  of  them  Killed  and  who  Lost  their  Lives — Aid 
Afforded  by  the  Ladies  of  Townsend  to  the  Sanitary  Com- 
mission. 

It  is  hardly  necessary  for  a  town  historian  to 
enumerate  and  discuss  the  causes  which  led  to  the 
rebellion  of  i86i,  which  has  engaged  the  attention  of  so 
many  different  writers.  An  exact  and  impartial  account 
of  that  gigantic  struggle,  embracing  the  incipient  causes 
thereof,  is  not  to  be  found  in  English  literature. 

'•Quos  Dens  vult  perdere,  prius  dementat.'' 

Those  whom  God  would  destroy,  he  first  makes  mad. 

That  madness  ruled  the  politicians,  who  assembled  at 
our  national    capital    from    all    parts    of    the    country    for 


2(10  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

years,  previous  to  the  bombardment  of  Siimpter,  is  beyond 
dispute.  The  words  and  acts  in  the  halls  of  Congress,  by 
persons  calling  themselves  gentlemen,  were  akin  to  bar- 
barism. What  man  would  assault  a  defenceless  gentleman, 
with  a  bludgeon,  for  words  used  in  debate,  as  Brooks  did 
his  intended  victim,  unless  he  was  the  very  personification 
of  drivelling  insanity  ! 

When  the  news  of  the  election  of  Abraham  Lincoln 
(who  did  not  receive  an  electoral  vote  from  any  of  the 
southern  states,)  reached  Boston,  Faneuil  Hall  swarmed 
with  exultant  men.  Among  the  ill-timed  remarks  of  the 
orators,  on  that  memorable  occasion,  was  that  of  Henry 
Wilson,  who,  in  speaking  of  the  southern  people,  used 
these  words :  "We  now  have  our  feet  on  their  necks." 
Certainly  these  words  were  not  called  for,  and  no  sane 
man  at  that  time  would  have  used  them,  for  they  were 
calculated  to  arouse  the  combativeness,  and  meet  with  a 
martial  response,  when  received  by  the  southern  people 
over  the  telegraphic  wires. 

The  great  wrong  of  firing  upon  the  national  flag,  and 
plotting  treason  against  the  government,  must  be  held  in 
everlasting  remembrance,  to  the  disgrace  of  the  southern 
leaders  in  the  rebellion  :  but  let  no  reader  suppose  that  the 
South  alone  was  responsible  for  this  civil  feud  which 
sundered  the  ties  of  consanguinity  and  drenched  the  land 
with  fraternal  blood ;  which  entailed  a  monstrous  debt  on 
the  nation,  and  swept  away  from  their  homes  and  into  the 
grave  nearly  half  a  million  of  men.  on  both  sides,  who 
have  fought  their  last  battle. 

••l?('\vaie 

Of  eiitniuee  to  ;i  (lUiirrel:  Imt.  huiiiii'  in. 

Bear  it  tliat  the  oi)i)os(;'r  may  l)e\vare'  of  thee." 


WAR    OF    THE    REBELLION.  261 

It  cannot  be  said  that  special  attention  was  paid  by 
any  state  or  statesman  to  the  precautionary  words  here 
quoted,  but  Massachusetts  gave  good  heed  to  the  last  part 
of  this  compound  declarative  sentence,  by  a  vigorous  and 
unqualified  support  of  the  government  in  its  effort  to 
preserve  the  Union  by  military  force. 

According  to  William  Schouler,  adjutant-general  of 
Massachusetts  during  the  rebellion,  in  his  report  to  the 
General  Court,  January  i,  1866,  this  Commonwealth  was 
represented  in  the  army  and  navy,  in  the  different  terms 
of  service  during  the  war,  by  one  hundred  and  fifty-nine 
thousand    one    hundred   and  fifteen    (159,115)   men.* 

Massachusetts  stood  at  the  end  of  the  war,  showing 
that  with  the  exception  of  twelve  small  towns,  every  town 
and  city  in  the  state  had  furnished  a  surplus  over  all  the 
demands  from  the  war  department,  which  amounted  in  the 
aggregate  to  fifteen  thousand  one  hundred  and  seventy- 
eight  (15,178)  men,  of  which  the  town  of  Townsend 
furnished  thirty-three  (33)  men. 

As  on  the  19th  of  April,  1775,  the  Middlesex  county 
men  were  the  first  to  yield  their  lives  in  the  revolution,  so 
on  the  19th  of  April,  1861,  just  eighty-six  years  afterward, 
men  from  the  same  tow^ns,  belonging  to  the  Sixth  Massa- 
chusetts Regiment,  were  the  first  who  gave  up  their  lives 
for  their  country,  in  the  mob  fight  at  Baltimore,  on  which 
occasion  three  men  were  killed  and  thirty  wounded. 

"Men  of  reflection  have  become  satisfied  that  a  nation, 
like  an  individual,  is  by  the  laws  of  nature — the  laws  of 
God,  clothed  with  the  right  of  self-preservation :  and 
when  its  existence  is  threatened,  it  is  bound  by  a  religious 
obligation  to  sustain  its  being  at  every  hazard,  and  by   all 


Afljutant-General's  Repoi-t,  page  10. 
34 


2()2  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

the  fair  means  that  God  and  nature  have  put  in  its  power. 
War  is  to  be  dreaded,  and  prevented  as  far  as  practicable  ; 
but  like  the  amputating  knife,  is  allowable  to  save  the  life 
of  the  body  politic.  And  though  war  in  itself  is  a  great 
calamit}',  and  leaves  many  evils  in  its  train,  the  history  of 
the  world  shows  that  some  of  the  grandest  steps  in  civiliza- 
tion have  grown  out  of  the  wars,  which  at  the  time  were 
regarded  as  great  calamities." 

Apparently  nothing  but  war  could  have  checked  the 
lordly  pride  of  those  southern  masters,  who  fain  would 
have  made  the  chief  corner-stone  of  their  confederacy  the 
institution  of  slavery.  No  people  were  ever  more  hu- 
miliated than  those  conspirators  who  took  the  sword,  and 
their  cause  perished  by  the  sword. 

A  dismal  despondency  hangs  over  the  distressed  peo- 
ple of  the  gulf  states,  the  educated  portion  of  whom  can 
never  adapt  themselves  to  the  grade  of  poverty  to  which 
they  have  been  levelled  by  the  war.  Undoubtedly  the  time 
will  come,  after  the  present  generation  has  passed  awa}', 
when  commerce  will  spread  her  wings  over  their  navigable 
waters — when  the  hoarse  breathing  of  the  steam  engine 
will  keep  time  with  their  various  industries — when  Educa- 
tion will  dispense  her  favors  irrespective  of  race  or  com- 
plexion, and  the  flag,  once  spurned  by  their  fathers,  will 
be  a  blessed  symbol. 

On  the  twentieth  of  April,  1861,  a  warrant  was  posted 
at  the  usual  places,  in  Townsend,  calling  a  town  meeting 
on  the  twenty-seventh  day  of  said  April,  which  contained 
the  following  article  : — 

"2.     To   see  if   the   town   will    take   an}-   measures    to 
facilitate  the  enrolment  or  enlistment  of  volunteers,  whose 


WAR    OF    THE    REBELLION.  2(iO 

services  shall  be  tendered  to  the  Governor  of  the  Common- 
wealth, or  through  him  to  the  President  of  the  United 
States." 

On  this  article,  voted  and  chose  a  committee  of  five 
citizens  to  report  to  the  town  a  plan  for  its  action.  Chose 
for  said  committee,  Henry  Sceva,  Walter  Fessenden. 
Daniel  L.  Brown,  Nathaniel  F.  Cummings,  and  Samuel 
S.  Haynes,  who  submitted  the  following  preamble  and 
resolutions,  which  were  accepted  and  adopted  by  a  unani- 
mous vote  of  the  town  : — 

"Whereas,  a  portion  of  the  states  of  this  confederacy, 
are  now  in  open  rebellion  against  the  Government,  and 
whereas,  the  President  of  these  United  States  has  called 
upon  the  Loyal  States  for  a  Militar}'  force  sufficient  to 
suppress  the  rebellion  and  maintain  the  laws  of  the  land  : 

"Now,  therefore,  we,  the  citizens  of  Townsend  in  town 
meeting  assembled,  hereby  declare  our  undying  love  for 
liberty,  and  our  sacred  regard  for  the  Constitution  as 
transmitted  to  us  by  its  founders. 

"Resolved,  that  we  tender  to  the  Government  our 
sympathy,  and  if  necessity  require,  our  lives  and  propertv. 

"Resolved,  that  our  foreign  born  citizens,  for  the 
promptness  with  which  they  have  rallied  to  the  support  of 
this  their  adopted  country,  have  laid  us,  the  native  born 
citizens,  under  everlasting  obligations,  and  that  our 
gratitude  for  their  support  and  sympath}'  should  be  appro- 
priately, cheertully,  and  promptly  acknowdedged." 

"Voted,  that  Walter  Fessenden,  Daniel  S.  Brown. 
Nathaniel  F.  Cummings,  James  N.  Tucker,  and  Altred 
M.  Adams,  be  a  committee  to  take  'immediate  measures 
for   the    enrolment    of    a    company    of    able-bodied    men. 


264 


HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 


whose  services  shall  forthwith  be  tendered  to  the  govern- 
ment." 

"Voted,  to  provide  for  the  families  of   those  who  may 
need  assistance  during  their  actual  service.'' 

The  President  called  for  seventy-tive  thousand  men, 
through  the  war  department,  on  the  fifteenth  of  April, 
1861.  The  gentlemen  of  the  committee,  chosen  at  this 
town  meeting,  and  other  men  of  w^ealth  and  influence, 
appealed  to  the  patriotism  of  the  citizens,  assuring  them 
that  the  families  of  married  men  should  be  cared  for,  in 
case  they  should  volunteer  to  fill  the  quota  of  the  town. 
During  the  next  June,  seven  Townsend  men  w^ere  enlisted, 
and  were  mustered  into  the  Sixth  Regiment,  Massachusetts 
Volunteers  (June  19).  The  names  of  these  men,  and 
their  record  in  connection  with  the  regiment,  are  here 
presented  : — 


Henry  J.  Parker. 
Frederick  A.  Jones. 
Robert  F.  Webb. 
John  Qiugg. 
Ransom  C.  Watson. 
George  N.  Spaulding. 
Daniel  Sidelincjer. 


Mustered    out    at    expiration    of 

term. 
Mustered    out    at    expiration    of 

term. 
Mustered    out    at    expiration    of 

term. 
Credited  to  Pepperell.    Mustered 

out  at  expiration  of  term. 
Mustered    out    at    expiration     of 

term. 
Mustered    out    at    expiration    of 

term. 
Mustered    out    at    expiration    of 

term. 


These  men  enlisted  for  three  months,   but  the   record 
shows  that  they  were  mustered  out,  August  2,  1861.    Most 


WAR    OF    THE    REBELLION.  26f) 

of  these  soldiers  re-enlisted  into  other  regiments,  and  their 
record  will  appear  further  on  in  this  chapter. 

It  appears  that  the  seceding  states  had  been  making- 
preparations  for  a  fight,  for  some  time,  while  the  North, 
with  the  exception  of  a  few  regiments  of  volunteer  militia, 
in  Massachusetts  and  one  or  two  other  states,  was  unpre- 
pared for  either  an  offensive  or  a  defensive  war. 

During  the  summer  and  fall  of  1861,  the  North  began 
to  "get  on  its  muscle,"  and  "guess"  that  something  must  be 
done.  In  September,  of  this  year,  thirty-two  Townsend 
men  volunteered  into  the  service,  and  joined  the  Twent}^- 
Sixth  Massachusetts  Regiment,  Company  G.  This  regi- 
ment was  mustered  in,  October  18,  1861,  and  mustered  out, 
August  26,  1865.  It  sailed  from  Boston  directly  for  Ship 
Island,  where  it  arrived  by  steamer,  in  less  than  ten  days 
from  the  time  of  its  departure.  It  was  a  part  of  the 
Nineteenth  Army  Corps,  Department  of  the  Gulf.  It 
took  part  in  the  engagements  of  Winchester,  Cedar  Creek, 
and  Fisher's  Hill. 

The  names  and  account  of  the  Townsend  men  are 
as  follows  : — 


Loren  Hosley. 
George  A.  Adams. 
Charles  W.  Dix. 


Discharged  at  expiration  of  term 
of  service,  Nov.  7,  1864. 

Discharged  at  expiration  of  term 
of  service,  Nov.  7,  1864. 

Promoted  Sept.  27,  1863,  to 
quarter-master  sergeant.      Re- 


enlisted 

Jan.    ] 

[,    1864. 

Pro- 

moted 

March 

15,     1865 

,     to 

second  lieutenant  Co.  B. 

Dis- 

charged  June  18,  1865. 


2()() 


HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 


James  Willard. 

Residence,  White- 
tield,  Maine. 

Ally  B.  Brown. 

Elijah  T.  Bates. 
Charles  H.  Brown. 
Warren  B.  Clark. 
Franklin  F.  Cross. 
William  Davis. 

Russell  O.  Houohton. 


Alvah  Richardson. 
Charles  Milliard. 


James  A.  Sanborn. 
Frederick   A.  Jones. 


Discharged  for  disability — date 
unknown.  Enlisted  tor  Town- 
send  quota. 

Transferred  March  i,  1864,  to 
what  regiment  is  unknown. 

Killed  at  Winchester,  Va.,  Sept. 
19,  1864. 

Killed  at  Winchester,  Va.,  Sept. 
19,  1864. 

Discharged  at  expiration  of  term 
of  service,  Nov.  7,  1864. 

Died  at  Marine  Hospital,  April 
12,  1863,  at  New  Orleans. 

Veteran — Re-enlisted  in  same 
company  and  regiment,  Jan.  i, 
1864.  Mustered  out  with  the 
regiment. 

Second  sergeant,  Nov.  i,  1861. 
Promoted  to  second  lieutenant, 
Sept.  30,  1862.  Promoted  to 
lirst  lieutenant,  Dec.  12,  1863. 
Promoted  to  captain,  Oct.  18, 
1864.  Mustered  out  with  the 
regiment. 

Mustered  out  with   the  regiment. 

Co.  B,  Capt.  E.  S.  Clark,  either 
re-enlisted,  or  was  transferred 
to  Mass.  Third  Cavalry.  Died 
.Nov.  9,  1863,  at  New  Orleans. 

Drowned  at  New  Orleans,  Aug. 
27,  1863. 

Co.  B,  Capt.  E.S.  Clark.  Killed 
in  action,  at  Winchester.  Va.. 
Sept.  19,  1864. 


WAR    OF    THE    REBELLION. 


267 


Samuel  W.  Griffeth. 
Merrick  L.  Gilson. 

Charles  R.  Shattuck. 

William   Hunt. 
Charles  L.  Spaulding. 
Myron  F.  Going, 

Charles  J.  Hapgood. 
Charles  L.  Hall. 
Charles  H.  Martin. 
Aaron  S.  Petts. 
Ai  H.  Spalding. 

Andrew  H.  Sloan. 

Frank  Stevens. 


Mustered  out  at  expiration  ot' 
term  of  service. 

Co.  B,  Capt.  E.  S.  Clark.  Dis- 
charged at  New  Orleans,  Oct. 
lo,  1862. 

With  Capt.  S.  R.  Fletcher.  Dis- 
charged for  disability,  at  New 
Orleans,  Sept.  11,  1862. 

Mustered  out  at  expiration  of 
term  of  service. 

Died  of  diphtheria,  Oct.  15,  1864, 
in  Pennsylvania. 

Promoted  to  commissarv  ser- 
geant, Nov.  I,  1 861.  Mustered 
out  at  the  expiration  of  term  of 
service. 

Mustered  out  at  expiration  of 
term  of  service. 

Transferred  to  another  regiment. 
March  i,  1864. 

Died  Aug.  20,  1862,  at  St.  James 
Hospital,  New  Orleans. 

Discharged,  from  Mass.  Gen. 
Hospital,  March  28,  1864. 

Veteran  —  Re-enlisted  in  same 
compan}-,  Feb.  i,  1864.  Mus- 
tered out  with  the  regiment. 

Veteran — Re-enlisted  in  same 
company,  Feb.  i,  1864.  Mus- 
tered out  with  the  regiment. 

Promoted  to  corporal,  July  30. 
1862.  Veteran — Re-enlisted  in 
same  company.  Jan.  6,  1864. 
Killed  in  action,  at  Winchester, 
Va.,  Sept.  19,  1864. 


2()8 


HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 


Francis  W.  Wood. 

Ransom  C.  Watson. 
Lysander  P.  Ta3'lor, 
John   Shattuck. 


Veteran — Re-enlisted  in  same 
company,  Jan.  3,  1864.  Dis- 
charged for  disability,  June  19, 
1865. 

Killed  in  action  at  Winchester. 
Va.,  Sept.  19,  1864. 

Discharged  at  New  Orleans  for 
disability,  May  17,  1863. 

Veteran — Re-enlisted  in  same 
company.  Mustered  out  with 
the  regiment. 


As  has  been  seen,  Townsend  sent  forty -two  men  into 
the  iield  during  the  first  year  of  the  war.  Before  June, 
1862,  the  battles  of  Fort  Henry,  Fort  Donelson,  and 
Shiloh,  had  been  fought  and  won  against  the  secessionists. 
The  mouth  of  the  Mississippi  had  been  cleared  of  rebel 
batteries,  and  its  forts  captured.  New  Orleans  was  under 
the  military  rule  of  General  Butler.  The  success  of  the 
loyal  troops,  particularly  in  the  west  and  southwest,  in 
nearh'  every  engagement,  had  been  complete,  and  the 
people  of  the  North  were  hopeful  of  a  speedy  suppression 
of  the  rebellion.  But  the  reverses  in  the  Shenandoah 
Valley,  and  the  imminent  danger  of  a  successful  attempt  to 
take  Washington,  caused  the  President  to  issue  the  call  for 
three  hundred  thousand  men,  for  three  years,  which  he 
did  on  the  first  of  July,  1862. 

Under  this  call,  twenty-five  men  of  this  town,  on  the 
twenty-second  of  July,  volunteered  into  the  service,  and 
joined  the  Thirty-Third  Massachusetts  Regiment  of  Vol- 
unteers, Company  E,  Capt.  William  H.  H.  Hinds,  of 
Groton,  (discharged  May  17,  1863,)  and  afterward  under 
command  of  Capt.  George  M.  Walker,  of  Newton. 


WAR    OF    THE    REBELLION. 


269 


This  regiment  was  mustered  into  the  service  of  the 
United  States,  August  13,  1862.  Mustered  out,  June  11, 
1865.  It  took  part  in  the  engagements  at  Fredericksburg, 
Chancellorsville,  Beverly  Ford,  Gettysburg,  Lookout 
Mountain,  Missionary  Ridge,  and  the  several  battles  of 
Sherman's  grand  army.  It  may  be  mentioned  that  there 
were  only  one  or  two  regiments  from  this  Commonwealth, 
that  endured  as  many  hardships,  or  faced  death  on  the 
battle-field,  as  often  and  as  bravely  as  did  the  Thirty- 
Third  Massachusetts  Volunteers.  On  the  arrival  of  the 
regiment  at  Boston,  June  13,  1865,  Mayor  Lincoln  gave  it 
a  generous  reception  ;  after  parading  the  principal  streets, 
the  regiment  marched  to  Faneuil  Hall  and  partook  of  a 
bountiful  collation,  furnished  by  the  city  authorities. 
Names  of  the  volunteers  and  their  record  : — 


George  W.  Bennett. 
Abijah  W.  Blood. 

James  Buckley. 

George  E.  Clark. 

(Bugler. ) 
Thomas  Dalrymple. 


Lewis  Gonnier. 

(Naturalized,  from 

Canada.) 
Andrew  D,  Heselton. 


Discharged  for  disability,  Dec. 
9,  1862. 

Died  of  chronic  diarrhoea,  at 
Baltimore,  August  12,  i''^63. 
Buried  at  Townsend  Centre. 

Wounded  March  16,  1865.  Dis- 
charged at  hospital. 

Mustered  out  June  11,  1862. 

Died  at  Lookout  Valley  Farm,  of 
disease,  1864.  Buried  at  Chat- 
tanooga. 

Left  regiment,  1864.  Trans- 
ferred to  Invalid  Corps. 

Mustered  out  at  expiration  of 
term  of  service. 


270 


HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 


James  King. 
Clarence  W.  Sylvester. 

Charles  E.  Marshall. 

Dominick  May. 
(Blacksmith.) 

Waldo  T.  Tower. 
(Blacksmith.) 

Jonah  Parker. 


Henry  J.  Parker. 

(Enlisted  first  ser- 
geant.) 


Charles  W.  Parker. 


Simeon  K.  Richards. 


S3dvester  T.  Wheeler. 


Charles  W.Wetherbee. 


Mustered  out  at  expiration  of 
term  of  service. 

Discharged  for  disability,  July 
21,  1864.  Died  of  consump- 
tion, 1864.  Buried  in  Town- 
send. 

Died  of  disease,  at  Germantown, 
Va.,  Dec.  4,  1862. 

Mustered  out  at  expiration  of 
term  of  service. 

Mustered  out  at  expiration  of 
term  of  service. 

Wounded  in  the  neck  by  a  gun- 
shot, at  Raccoon  Ridge,  Look- 
out Valley  Farm,  Oct.  29, 1864. 
Nearly  lost  his  life. 

Promoted  to  second  lieutenant, 
March  29,  1863.  Promoted  to 
first  lieutenant,  July  16,  1863. 
Killed  in  action,  at  Resica, 
Ga.,  May  15,  1864. 

Promoted  to  sergeant,  August, 
1863.  Mustered  out  with  regi- 
ment, at  expiration  of  term  of 
service. 

Wounded  at  Resica,  Ga.,  May 
15,  1864.  Died  of  his  wound, 
June  25,  1864.  Buried  at  Chat- 
tanooga. 

Died  June  10,  1864,  from  a 
wound  received  in  action,  at 
Resica,  Ga.  Buried  at  Chat- 
tanooga. 

Died  of  disease,  Dec.  29,  1862. 


WAR    OF    THE    REBELLION. 


271 


Jefferson  Whitcomb. 
Evander  W.  Wright. 

Franklin  S.  Wright. 

Andrew  L.    Woodard. 
William  H.  Wright. 

Lewis  T.  Wright. 

Abram  Clark. 
Oliver  B.  Osborn. 


Mustered    out     at    expiration    of 

term  of  service. 
Wounded    slightly,    at    Lookout 

Valley    Farm,  Oct.   29,    1863. 

Mustered  out    of  regiment  on 

detached      hospital      duty,     at 

Nashville,  Tenn. 
Killed  at  Lookout  Valley  Farm, 

Oct.     29,     1863.        Buried     at 

Chattanooga. 
Died  of   disease,   Nov.  8,    1864. 

Buried  at  Chattanooga. 
Mustered    out   of    regiment    and 

detached  on    hospital    duty    at 

Nashville,    Tenn. 
Promoted     to  corporal,  April  16, 

1864.  Died  of  disease,  Oct.  14, 

1864. 
Discharged  Jan.  4,  1863. 

Died  of  disease,  Nov.  4,  1862,  at 
Thoroughfare  Gap,  where  his 
comrades  buried  him  "beneath 
a  chestnut  tree." 


This  regiment  used  up  two  stands  of  colors,  which 
were  so  torn  and  mudlated  by  wear  and  bullets,  that  they 
would  scarcely  hang  together.  They  were  sent  home  and 
deposited  in  the  state  house,  with  other  mementos  of  this 
sanguinary  conflict.  A  third  stand  of  colors  was  sent  to 
the  regiment,  on  which  were  inscribed  the  names  of  the 
twenty-two  battles  in  which  it  was  engaged. 

The  Sixth  Regiment,  Massachusetts  Volunteers,  re- 
enlisted    in    August,    1862,    for    nine    months,    and    were 


272 


HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 


mustered  out,  in  June,  1863.  It  participated  in  the  siege 
of  Suffolk,  Virginia,  which  continued  from  April  11  to 
May  4,  1863.  It  was  in  a  skirmish  at  a  place  called 
Deserted  House,  where  it  lost  several  men,  killed.  Five 
Townsend  men  were  with  Capt.  George  F.  Shattuck,  of 
Groton,  in  this  regiment,  viz  : — 


Richard  Pierce. 
Albert  D.  Turner. 
Alanson  Withington. 

Charles  W.  Hildreth. 
Charles  A.  Wright. 


Mustered  out  at  expiration  of 
term  of  service. 

Mustered  out  at  expiration  of 
term  of  service. 

Killed  Jan.  30,  1863,  in  a  skir- 
mish near  Suffolk,  Va.,  at  a 
place  called  Deserted  House. 

Mustered  out  at  expiration  of 
term  of  service. 

Detached  on  hospital  duty.  Mus- 
tered out  at  expiration  of  term 
of  service. 


The  first  of  August,  1862,  the  President  called  for 
three  hundred  thousand  nine  months  men.  War  meetings 
during  that  month  were  frequently  held,  at  the  town  hall, 
to  devise  means  to  fill  the  quota  of  the  town.  At  one  of 
these  assemblies  of  the  citizens,  Anson  D.  Fessenden  was 
selected  to  recruit  a  company,  if  possible,  if  not,  as  many 
as  he  could.  He  attended  to  that  duty  in  a  commendable 
manner,  and  on  the  second  day  of  September  following, 
forty  Townsend  men,  including  himself,  volunteered  for 
nine  months,  and  signed  enlistment  papers.  A  sufficient 
number  of  recruits  enlisted,  about  the  same  time,  in  the 
town  of  Shirley,  and  other  neighboring  towns,  which  were 
added  to  the  Townsend  men,  to  make  up  a  company.  The 


•■sr  * 


^"^^.X 


WAR    OF    THE    REBELLION.  273 

officers  chosen  for  this  company  were  :  Andrew  J. 
Clough,  of  Shirley,  captain ;  Anson  D.  Fessenden,  of 
Townsend,  first  lieutenant ;  Stephen  W.  Longle}',  of 
Shirley,  second  lieutenant. 

This  company  w  as  attached  to  the  Fifty-Third  Regi- 
ment, Massachusetts  Volunteers,  and  w^as  designated  Com- 
pany D.     Mustered  in,  October  17,  1862. 

Captain  Clough  was  discharged  at  the  city  of  New 
York,  on  the  outward  transit,  January  23,  1863,  "on  sur- 
geon's certificate,  by  special  order,  No.  26." 

Lieutenant  Fessenden  w^as  in  command  of  this 
company  till  September  2,  1863,  when  the  regiment  was 
mustered  out. 

Anson  D.  Fessenden,  the  son  of  Benjamin  and  Betsey 
(Stevens)  Fessenden,  was  born  February  18,  1839.  At  a 
suitable  age  he  was  sent  to  Wilbraham  Academy,  w'here 
he  diligently  applied  himself  to  his  studies,  standing  well 
in  his  class.  He  was  prompt  in  his  attendance,  and  gave 
strict  attention  to  the  exercises  of  that  institution.  During 
the  year  1861,  he  was  a  member  of  the  scientific  depart- 
ment of  Union  College,  where  he  pursued  the  studies  of 
mathematics  and  civil  engineering.  The  fact,  that  he  has 
a  good  command  of  language,  and  just  confidence  enough 
to  make  him  a  good  public  speaker,  is  sufficient  proof 
that  he  improved  his  time  while  he  was  a  student.  On 
the  first  day  of  January,  1864,  he  joined  his  father  in  the 
coopering  trade.  Since  that  time,  this  firm,  doing  business 
under  the  name  and  style  of  B.  &  A.  D.  Fessenden, 
has  done  an  extensive  business  in  the  manufacture  and 
shipping  of  goods  in  that  line.  As  a  manufacturer,  he  is 
as  popular  with  his  workmen  as  he  was  with  the  "boys  in 
blue"  under  his  command.     He  is  a  man  of    a   social   and 


274 


HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 


agreeable  disposition,  and  much  respected  as  a  townsman. 
He  represented  this  district  in  the  lower  branch  of  the 
General  Court,  in  1865.  He  married  Thirza  A.  Boutell, 
of  this  town,  December  6,  1865. 

The  Fifty-Third  Regiment  served  in  the  Department 
of  the  Gulf, — Nineteenth  Army  Corps — ^John  W.  Kimball, 
of  Fitchburg,  colonel  in  command. 

This  regiment  was  in  the  battle  of  Port  Hudson,  May 
27,  1863  ;  assault  on  Port  Hudson,  June  14,  1863  ;  siege  of 
Port  Hudson,  from  May  24  to  July  8,  1863;  March  12, 
1863,  skirmish  with  enemy  on  the  Bayou  Road;  skirmish 
at  Pattersonville,  La.,  near  Fort  Bisland,  April  12,  1863  ; 
skirmish  in  front  of  Port  Hudson,  May  24,  1863.  Names 
of  Townsend  men  on  the  roll  of  Company  D  : — 


John   Q^  Adams. 


Isaac  Allen. 


Wallis  S.  Arlan. 

John  B.  Blood. 
Daniel  Brogan. 
John  A.  Brown. 

William   Bush. 


Corporal — Promoted  to  sergeant. 
Discharged  July  24,  1863,  by 
special  order  No.  189.  Re- 
enlisted  on  Banks'  body  guard. 

Died  on  his  way  home,  on  board 
steamer,  near  Memphis,  Tenn., 
Aug.  16,  1863,  of  chronic 
diarrhoea.  Buried  at  Memphis, 
Tenn. 

Killed  in  action  at  Port  Hudson, 
June  14,  1863. 

Mustered  out  with  the  regiment. 

Mustered   out  w-ith  the  regiment. 

Promoted  to  corporal,  April  11, 
1863.  Mustered  out  with  the 
regiment. 

Sergeant — Mustered  out  with  the 
regiment. 


WAR    OF    THE    REBELLION. 


275 


Charles  S.  Champney 
Edmund  O.  Day. 

William  Farmer. 
Anson  D.  Fessenden. 


Andrew  Foster. 
Adams  S.  Graham. 
George  S.  Graham. 
Harlan  F.  Green. 

John  Haynes. 

John  P.  Hildreth. 
Webster  Hoffses. 
Leander  C.  Jefts. 
Dennisson  S.  Kimball. 

Francis  A.  Laws. 

Lewis  O.  Laws. 

William  Ordway. 
Henry  C.  Nichols. 

Levi  T.  Parker. 
Shubell  B.  Pierce. 


Mustered  out  with  the   regiment. 

In  Co.  C,  with  Leominster  men. 
Mustered  out  with  regiment. 

Mustered  out  with  the  regiment. 

First    lieutenant.      Promoted    to 


captain,  May  21,   186;: 


Ml 


tered  out  with  regiment. 

Mustered  out  with  the  regiment. 

Mustered   out  with  the  regiment. 

Mustered  out  with  the  regiment. 

Fourth  sergeant.  Mustered  out 
with  the  regiment. 

Corporal.  Died  of  typhoid  fever, 
July  13,  1863,  at  Port  Hud- 
son.    Buried  at  Port  Hudson. 

Mustered  out  with   the  regiment. 

Mustered  out  with   the  regiment. 

Mustered  out  with  the   regiment. 

Killed  in  action  at  Port  Hudson. 
June  14,  1863. 

Discharged  Jan.  15,  1863.  Sur- 
geon's certificate. 

Died  at  Marine  Hospital,  New 
Orleans,  Aug.  5,  1863. 

Mustered  out  with  the   regiment. 

Died  of  typhoid  fever,  at  Charity 
Hospital,  New  Orleans,  March 
21,  1863. 

Mustered  out  with  the   regiment. 
Mustered   out  with  the  regiment. 


-27() 


HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 


Hiram  F.  Richards. 
John  Richards. 

Edson  A.  Richardson. 
Dennis  J.  Shehan. 
George  A.  Sherwin. 

Alden  W.  Smith. 
Benjamin  B.  Spalding. 

Frederick  F.  Spalding. 

Augustus  G.  Stickney. 
William  E.  Sjdvester. 
Levi  Wares. 

A] son  S.  Warren. 

William  H.Woodward. 
Thomas  H.  Warren. 


Mustered  out  with  tlie  regiment. 

Co.    C,    with     Leominster    men. 

Mustered  out  with  regiment. 
Died  at  Marine    Hospital,    New^ 

Orleans,  of  chronic  diarrhoea, 

May  6,  1863. 
Died  July  10,    1863,   of   wounds 

received  at  Port  Hudson,  June 

14.  1863. 
Discharged     from     Hospital,     at 

New  Orleans,   June  18,   1863. 

Surgeon's  certiticate. 

Mustered   out  w^ith  the  regiment. 

Mustered  out  with  the  regiment. 
Veteran — Re-enlisted  Aug.  24, 
1864,  into  the  Tw^enty-Fourth 
Mass.  Regiment.  Mustered 
out  with  the  regiment. 

Discharged  by  special  order,  July 
24,1863.  Re-enlisted  in  Banks' 
body-guard. 

Mustered  out  with  the   regiment. 

Mustered  out  with    the   regiment. 

Died  Feb.  9,  1863,  of  inflamma- 
tion of  the  lungs.  Buried  at 
Cypress  Grove,  New  Orleans. 
— Hospital  record. 

Died  of  chronic  diarrhoea,  at 
Baton  Rouge,  La.,  April  6, 
1863. 

Mustered  out  with   the    regiment. 

Discharged  July,  24,  1863.  Re- 
enlisted  in  Banks'  body-guard. 


WAR    OF    THE    REBELLION. 


277 


The  following  are  the  names   of  Townsend  men  in 
various  regiments  : — 


Patrick  Murra}^ 


Charles  C.  Cobleigh. 
(Bugler.) 


Henrv  O.  Adams. 


James  E.  Brooks. 


Amos  Pierce. 


Boyd  Todd. 


Edward  Potter. 


Enlisted  July  2,  1861,  for  three 
years,  in  Sixteenth  Mass.  Regi- 
ment. Wounded  at  battle  of 
Gettysburg,  July  3,  1863.  Dis- 
charged by  order  of  General 
Wadsworth. 

Enlisted  September,  1861,  for 
three  years,  in  First  Mass.  Cav- 
alry. Discharged  Sept.  24, 
1864. 

Enlisted  August,  1861,  for  three 
years,  in  Fifteenth  Mass. Regi- 
ment. Discharged  Feb.  7, 
1863. 

Enlisted  Sept.  15, 1862,  in  Second 
New  Hampshire  Regiment. 
Received  bounty  from  town 
of  Temple,  New  Hampshire. 
Mustered  out  with    regiment. 

Enlisted  Sept.  20,  1861,  in  First 
Mass.  Cavalry.  Promoted  to 
corporal  Feb.  21,  1862.  Trans- 
ferred to  Fourth  Cavalry.  Dis- 
charged for  disability,  Nov.  25, 
1862,  on  surgeon's  certificate. 

Enlisted  Sept.  28,  1861,  for  three 
years,  in  Twenty-Third  Mass. 
Regiment.  Wounded  in  action 
at  White  Hall,  North  Carolina, 
Dec.  16,  1862.  Discharged 
June  12,   1863. 

Enlisted  Aug.  13,  1862,  in  First 
Mass.  Regiment.  Mustered 
out  with  the  regiment.  May  25, 
1864. 


27. 


HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 


Lorenzo  Bruce. 


James  A.  Willard. 


George  Spalding. 


William  H.  Lewis. 


Alden  Adams. 


Leonard  O.  Bruce. 


William  T.  Barrett. 


William  T.  Adams. 


Enlisted  Oct.  i8,  1861,  for  three 
years,  in  First  Mass.  Cavalry. 
Discharged  at  expiration  of 
term  of  service. 

Enlisted  Sept.  20,  1861,  for  three 
years,  in  First  Mass.  Cavalry. 
Transferred  to  Fourth  Cavalry. 
Corporal — Discharged  for  dis- 
ability. May  II,  1862. 

Enlisted  Sept.  30,  1861,  for  three 
years,  in  First  Mass.  Cavalry. 
Transferred  to  Fourth  Cavalry. 
Discharged  at  expiration  of 
term  of  service. 

Enlisted  May  19,  1861,  for  three 
years,  in  Twelfth  Mass.  Regi- 
ment. Credited  to  the  town  of 
Weymouth.  Mustered  out  with 
the  regiment. 

Enlisted  for  nine  months,  Aug. 
29,  1862,  in  Forty-Fourth 
Mass.  Regiment.  Credited  to 
Dorchester.  Discharged  at  ex- 
piration of  term  of  service. 

Enlisted  for  three  years,  July  26, 
1862,  in  Thirty-Sixth  Mass. 
Regiment.  Corporal  —  Dis- 

charged April  29,  1863. 

Enlisted  Aug.  6,  1862,  for  three 
years,  in  Thirty-Ninth  Mass. 
Regiment.  Third  Corporal — 
Mustered  out  with  regiment. 

Enlisted  Sept.  27,  1861,  for  three 
years,  in  Twenty-Fifth  Mass. 
Regiment.  Died  in  Libby 
Prison,  July  23,  1864. 


WAR    OF    THE    REBELLION. 


279 


Charles  Searles. 


Julius  C.  Eastman. 


Henry  H.  Hosley 


Joseph  O.  Hildrith. 


Oliver  E.  Hazard. 
(Colored.) 


Horace  Hazard. 

(Colored.) 


Nahum  G.  Hazard. 
(Colored.) 


Enlisted  July  2,  1861,  for  three 
years,  in  Sixteenth  Mass. Regi- 
ment. Discharged  at  expira- 
tion of  term  of  service. 

Enlisted  March  7,  1864,  in 
Sixteenth  Mass.  Regiment, 
Light  Battery.  Mustered  out 
with  regiment. 

Enlisted  July  12,  1861,  for  three 
years,  in  Fifteenth  Mass.  Regi- 
ment. Discharged  for  disa- 
bility, Nov.  12,  1862. 

Enlisted  Aug.  13,  1862,  for  three 
years,  in  Fortieth  Mass.  Regi- 
ment. Mustered  out  with  the 
regiment,  June  16,  1865. 

Enlisted  December,  1863,  for 
three  years,  in  Fifty-Fourth 
Mass.  Regiment.  Wounded 
slightly,  Feb.  20,  1864.  All 
the  men  in  this  regiment,  ex- 
cept the  officers,  were  of  African 
descent.  Mustered  out  with 
the  regiment. 

Drafted.  Served  in  Fifty-Fourth 
Mass.  Regiment.  This  was 
the  only  Townsend  man  who 
was  drafted  that  went  to  the 
war.  Mustered  out  with  the 
regiment. 

Enlisted  Aug.  27,  1864,  for  one 
year,  in  Fifty-Fifth  Mass. Regi- 
ment, Company  I.  All  colored 
men  in  this  regiment,  except 
the  officers.  Mustered  out 
with  the  regiment. 


280 


HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 


John  J.  Hennessey 
(Colored.) 


William  A.  Champney. 


Edwin  Adams. 


Thomas  H.  Welch. 
Robert  Welch. 
Daniel  T.  Goodwin. 

George  F.  French. 
Horace  E.  Lawrence. 


Enlisted  May  4,  1864,  for  three 
years,  in  Fifth  Mass.  Cavalry. 
Mustered  out  with  regiment. 
All  colored  men  in  this  regi- 
ment. 

Enlisted  July  19,  1862,  lor  three 
years,  in  Thirty-Seventh  Mass. 
Regiment.  Credited  to  the  town 
of  Hadley.  Mustered  out  at 
expiration  of  term  of  service. 

Enlisted  for  three'  3'ears,  in 
Sixteenth  Mass.  Regiment. 
Wounded  severely  in  right 
hand  by  a  shell.  Lost  his 
hand.  Discharged — date  un- 
known. 

Enlisted  September,  1864,  for  one 
year,  in  Heav}-  Artiller}-. 

Enlisted  Aug.  2,  1864,  in  Second 
Regiment  Heavy  Artillery. 

Enlisted  Aug.  31,  1864,  for  one 
year,  in  Nineteenth  Regiment 
Heavy  Artillery.  Mustered  out 
with  regiment. 

Enlisted  at  Sioux  Cit}',  in  Spring 
of  1861,  in  First  Nebraska 
Regiment,  with  Capt.  Hollins. 
Died  at  Syracuse,  Missouri,  of 
fever,  Nov.  24,  1861. 

Enlisted  at  Boston,  tor  three 
years,  March  12,  1862,  into 
Third  Regiment  Rhode  Island 
Ardllery.  Discharged  at  Hilton 
Head,  for  disability,  Dec.  26, 
1862.  Died  and  was  buried 
in  Townsend,  in  May,  1863. 


WAR    OF    THE    REBELLION. 


281 


The  following  is  a  list  of  the  names  of  men  who 
enlisted  in  August,  1864,  for  one  year,  and  were  mustered 
in  on  the  twenty-fifth  of  the  same  month.  They  are 
described  in  the  records  as  belonging  to  the  "Twenty- 
Fourth  Massachusetts  Regiment,  Unattached  Heavy  Ar- 
tillery." They  were  stationed  at  Fort  Delaware  and  near 
the  city  of  Washington  : — 


Vernal  Barber.  ^ 
John  A.  Brown. 
William  Coombs. 
George  H.  Ellis. 

Jonas  L.  Jennerson. 
Benjamin  F.  King. 
Augustus  Lovejov. 
Newell  F.  Putnam. 
Nathaniel  A.  Ripley. 
Benjamin  B.  Spalding. 


Amos  Webber 


Elbridge  A.  Wright. 


Mustered  out  with  the  regiment. 

Discharged  May  3,  1865. 

Mustered   out  with  the  regiment. 

Died  at  Mount  Pleasant  Hospital, 
Washington,  D.  C,  Dec.  30. 
1864. 

Discharged  May  5,  1865. 

Mustered  out  with  the   regiment. 

Mustered   out  with  the  regiment. 

Mustered  out  with  the  regiment. 

Mustered  out  with  the   regiment. 

Served  with  Fifty-Third  Mass. 
Regiment.  Re-enlisted  in  this 
regiment,  August,  1864.  Mus- 
tered out  with  regiment. 

Credited  to  the  quota  of  Fitch- 
burg.  Mustered  out  with  the 
regiment. 

Mustered  out  with  the  regiment. 
Committed  suicide  ;  shot  him- 
self, May  17,  1872. 


282  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

A  roll  of  the  men  who  enlisted,  July  7,  1864,  for  one 
hundred  days,  and  proceeded  to  Washington  and  per- 
formed guard  duty  at  Arlington  Heights,  and  at  other 
places,  near  the  Capital.  The  men  are  represented  in  the 
record  as  belonging  to  Company  B,  Sixth  Regiment, 
Massachusetts  Volunteers.  No  casualties  happened  to 
these  men  during  their  absence  : — 

Charles  Adams.  James  C.  Moody. 

Joseph  Baxter.  Ai  Richards. 

James  Brogan.  Charles  Spaulding. 

Rufus  T.  Brown.  Marshall  D.  Spaulding. 

George  H.  Green.  Henry  Sturtevant. 

Samuel  K.  Gilson.  William  R.  Wright. 

George  S.  Graham.  John  B.  Spaulding. 
Charles  W.  Hildreth. 

In  closing  the  record  of  those  who  thus  gave  their 
best  efforts  to  preserve  the  Union,  it  must  be  remembered, 
that  to  every  call  for  troops,  a  response  from  the  citizens  of 
the  town  went  forth  as  generous  as  the  revolutionary 
lathers  returned  one  hundred  years  ago.  While  the  town 
was  pouring  forth  its  treasures  without  stint  or  reluctance, 
these  patriotic  men  gave  their  presence  in  the  "tiger 
strife," — their  lives  to  the  cause.  The  terrible  battle-fields 
of  Virginia,  Louisiana,  and  other  states,  testify  to  the 
bravery  of  these  Townsend  young  men,  twelve  of  whom 
were  killed  in  action,  and  twenty-two  lost  their  lives  by 
starvation  in  rebel  prisons,  disease  and  the  casualties  of 
war. 

The  loss  of  their  lives  caused  many  sorrowful  hearts  : 
man\'  tearful  eves  watched  for  the  news  from  everv  battle- 


WAR    OF    THE    REBELLION.  28o 

field.     Their   widows  and    orphans  are   still   mournful   at 
their  early  bereavement  of  husbands  and  fathers. 

"^How  sleep  the  brave  who  sink  to  rest. 
By  all  their  country's  wishes  blest. 
Where  Spring  with  dewy  fingers  cold, 
Returns  to  deck  their  hallowed  mould, 
She  there  shall  find  a  sweeter  sod. 
Than  fancy's  feet  have  ever  trod. 

"By  fairy  forms  their  dirge  is  sung. 
By  hands  unseen  their  knell  is  rung ; 
There  Honor  conies  a  pilgrim  gray. 
To  bless  the  turf  that  wrap?  their  claJ^ 
And  Freedom  shall  a  while  repair 
To  dwell  a  weeping  hermit  there." 

The  foregoing  rolls  contain  the  names  of  all  the 
Townsend  men,  as  far  as  is  known,  who  volunteered  to 
assist  in  suppressing  the  rebellion.  No  mention  of  the 
substitutes  has  been  made,  as  they  were  mere  merchandise, 
used  for  the  time  to  shield  the  men  who  chose  t-o  purchase 
them  rather  than  to  take  the  risks  of  war  upon  their  own 
shoulders. 

It  has  been  a  source  of  pleasure  to  the  writer,  that, 
during  the  entire  labor  of  examining  muster  rolls,  dis- 
charge papers,  diaries,  Adjutant-General's  reports,  and 
town  records,  in  order  to  present  a  correct  history  of  these 
volunteers,  that  the  word  ^^ deserted'''  has  never  been  found, 
written  or  printed,  opposite  to  the  name  of  one  of  them. 
Nearly  every  one  of  these  volunteers,  who  returned  after 
the  rebellion  was  crushed,  assumed  the  duties  of  indus- 
trious citizens,  with  as  much  fidelity  as  though  thev  had 
never  been  introduced  to  "grim-visaged  war.'' 

The  town  records,  during  the  time  the  rebellion  was 
in  progress,  were  not  kept  with  the  greatest  accuracy,  but, 
as  near  as  can  be  ascertained  from  all  sources,  Townsend 
sent  to  the  field,   troops    enlisted    for    three    months,    one 


284  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

hundred  days,  nine  months,  and  three  years  or  for  the 
war,  including  substitutes,  to  the  number  of  two  hundred 
and  seventy  men,  of  whom  one  hundred  and  sixty-one 
were  voters  in  this  town  at  the  time  of  their  enlistment. 

The  services  of  the  women  of  this  town,  acting  in 
concert  with  the  Sanitary  Commission,  are  not  to  be  over- 
looked. During  the  war,  from  the  time  our  soldiers  were 
tirst  encamped  within  the  borders  of  the  state,  till  they 
returned  home  at  the  expiration  of  their  term  of  service, 
they  were  remembered  by  this  class  of  patient  toilers. 
The  sessions  of  the  Ladies'  Benevolent  Society  were 
many,  which  were  devoted  to  industrious  efforts  in  making 
quilts,  clothing,  lint,  and  cushions  for  broken  limbs.  The 
busy  hands  of  the  home-circle,  similarly  employed,  should 
also  be  mentioned.  The  goods  thus  made  together  with 
condiments,  provisions,  stimulants,  and  delicacies,  pur- 
chased at  considerable  expense,  suitable  for  those  who 
were  suffering  in  the  hospitals,  were,  at  different  times, 
carefully  packed,  filling  many  boxes  and  barrels,  and 
forwarded  in  a  cause  where  philanthropy  was  at  a 
premium.  Among  the  ladies  who  were  active  in  this 
womanly  sympathy,  the  names  of  Mrs.  Dr.  Bertram,  Mrs. 
Ralph  Ball,  Mrs.  Jonas  Spalding,  Jr.,  Mrs.  Noah  Bali. 
and  others  (did  space  admit)  ,  might  be  mentioned.  Their 
efforts  awakened  gladness  in  many  hearts,  and  will  be 
held  in  grateful  remembrance,  as  was  that  of  Eunice 
Locke,  of  revolutionar}'  fame.  This  chapter  now  closes 
with  the  simple  statement,  that,  all  that  is  claimed  for 
Townsend,  during  those  modern  "days  that  tried  men's 
souls,"  is,  that  the  town  did  its  duty  in  a  commendable 
manner,  compared  with  the  other  towns  of  this  time- 
honored  Commonwealth. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

LAWYERS.  FHYSICIANS.  AND  COLLEGE  GRADUATES. 

Lawyers  :  Walter  Hastings— Aaron  Keyes— Frederick  A.  Worcestei-. 
Physicians  :  Joseph  Adams— Samuel  Hosley— Isaac  Mulliliin— 
Samuel  Lovejoy — Moses  Kidder— John  Bertram — Ebenezer  P. 
Hills— Augustus  G.  Stickney — John  Heard — Royal  B.  Boynton— 
Charles  J.  Towne.  College  Graduates:  John  Hubbard— 
Abraham  Buttertield— Daniel  Adams — Joseph  "Walker — William 
Farmer— John  Stevens— Joel  Giles — John  Graham — John  Giles 
—Charles  Brooks — Warren  Brooks — Mark  Davis — Charles  T. 
Haynes — John  M.  Pi'octor — Randall  Spaulding — Eliel  S.  Ball— 
Wayland    Spaulding. 

The  following  memoirs  and  sketches  of  the  law3'ers 
and  physicians,  contain  the  names  of  those  only  who  have 
resided  here  for  considerable  time,  and  have  been  per- 
manently identified  with  the  interests  of  Townsend. 
Probably  more  men,  of  the  medical  profession,  have  come 
here  and  had  a  temporary  residence,  than  the  number  of 
those  whose  names  will  appear  in  this  chapter.  Men, 
having  various  grades  of  skill,  character,  and  learning, 
have  given  this  town  a  short  trial,  and  then  taken  their 
departure.  A  promising  young  physician,  by  the  name  of 
Gerry,  about  1848,  came  to  Townsend  Centre  and  located. 
He  married  Caroline  Brooks,  daughter  of  Samuel  Brooks, 
of  this  town.    Within  a  short  time  after  his, settlement  here. 


37 


28(i  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

while  engaged  in  a  surgical  operation,  he  got  some  virus 
into  a  slight  scratch  in  his  hand,  which  caused  his  death 
very  suddenly.  The  "what  might  have  been"  was  deeply 
considered  by  his  widow  and  friends  whom  he  left  behind. 
There  have  been  only  two  or  three  lawyers  who  came  to 
Townsend  and  made  it  their  residence  for  a  short  time. 

Walter  Hastings  was  the  first  lawyer  who  made 
Townsend  a  residence  and  a  place  of  business.  He  was 
born  in  Chelmsford,  1778,  was  graduated  at  Harvard 
College,  1799,  and  studied  law  with  Judge  Prescott,  of 
Groton.  He  commenced  practice  here,  soon  after  he  was 
admitted  to  the  bar,  in  1803.  His  father  and  grandfather 
were  both  graduates  of  Harvard  College,  and  both  were 
prominent  patriots  in  the  revolutionary  service.  He  lived 
at  the  Harbor,  and  is  remembered  by  the  elderly  people 
of  Towmsend,  of  both  sexes,  as  a  man  of  elegant  personal 
appearance  ("a  handsome  man"),  and  of  dignified  ad- 
dress. 

In  1808,  he  was  chosen  captain  of  the  North  Company 
of  Townsend,  which  ofiice  he  held  till  1812,  when,  war 
with  England  having  been  declared,  he  w^as  appointed 
colonel,  and  was  placed  in  command  of  about  three 
thousand  Middlesex  county  troops,  stationed  at  Fort  War- 
ren, now  Fort  Winthrop.*  He  remained  in  command  till 
the  close  of  the  war,  when  he  returned  to  Townsend  and 
resumed  practice  in  his  profession.  He  took  great  interest 
in  military  affairs,  which  engrossed  much  of  his  time  and 
attention,  even  after  peace  was  declared,  for  which  reason. 


*The  war  witli  Kngland,  in  ISl-2,  was  not  popular  iu  Massacliusetts.  Towiigenfl 
Iiad  six  or  eight  drafted  men  with  Colonel  Hastings,  at  Fort  Warren,  among  whom 
were  John  Emery.  Daniel  Campbell  and  Samuel  Searls.  Tliese  men  weie  absent  from 
home  onlv  a  short  time. 


LAWYERS    AND    PHYSICIANS.  287 

probably,  he  did  not  stand  in  the  front  rank  of  the  legal 
profession.  He  possessed  first-class  abilities,  both  natural 
and  acquired. 

In  1814,  he  married  Roxanna  Warren,  daughter  of 
Moses  Warren.  She  survived  him,  and  afterward  married 
Elisha  Glidden.  Colonel  Hastings  died,  June  6,  1821, 
and  at  his  solicitation,  he  was  buried  with  military  honors, 
at  Townsend  Centre.  The  Townsend  Light  Infantry, 
Captain  Levi  Warren,  was  in  attendance  as  a  guard  of 
honor,  and  discharged  "the  last  farewell  shot''  at  the 
portals  of  his  sepulchre. 

Aaron  Keyes,  the  second  lawyer  who  practiced  in 
this  town,  was  born  at  Westford,  in  1791.  He  was  a  good 
scholar,  and  he  enjoyed  the  privileges  of  a  thorough 
academic  education.  He  commenced  reading  law  in  an 
office  at  Bridgewater,  in  this  state,  and  finished  his  studies 
in  that  direction  with  John  Abbott,  a  lawyer  practicing  at 
Westford.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1822,  and  he 
opened  an  office  at  Townsend  Centre,  the  same  year.  He 
was  in  practice  in  this  town  from  the  time  of  settlement 
here  till  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1842,  a  period  of 
twenty  years.  He  was  postmaster,  at  the  central  village, 
from  1826  to  1835.  He  was  a  good  counsellor,  well  read 
in  his  profession,  and  withal,  not  inclined  to  "engender 
strife"  among  his  acquaintances,  for  the  purpose  of 
making  business  which  would  turn  to  his  pecuniarv  ad- 
vantage. He  was  much  respected  as  a  townsman,  and 
what  is  rather  the  exception  than  the  rule  among  men  of 
the  legal  profession,  his  chirography  was  neat  and  per- 
fectly legible,  which  made  him  an  excellent  conveyancer. 
In  1824,  he  married  Martha  Warren,  daughter  of  Moses 
Warren. 


288  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

Frederick  A.  Worcester  was  the  third  person 
who  permanently  located  in  Townsend,  in  the  practice  of 
law.  He  was  born  in  Hollis,  New  Hampshire,  1807.  His 
father,  Jesse  Worcester,  Esq.,  was  the  most  influential 
man  of  his  time,  in  that  town. 

When  only  fifteen  years  old,  young  Jesse  was  at 
Ticonderoga,  in  1776,  and  he  did  good  service  in  the  con- 
tinental army  during  the  latter  part  of  the  war.  This  revo- 
lutionary patriot  married  when  about  twenty-two  years  of 
age,  and  subsequently  "many  children  played  around  his 
door."  By  his  good  management,  industry,  and  their 
help,  he  found  means  to  give  five  of  his  sons  a  collegiate 
education:  Joseph  E.  Worcester  (the  Lexicographer), 
Yale  College,  1811  ;  Rev.  Taylor  G.  Worcester,  Harvard 
University,  1823  ;  Rev.  Henry  A.  Worcester,  Yale  Col- 
lege, 1828  ;  Hon.  Samuel  T.  Worcester,  Harvard  Univer- 
sity, 1830;  Hon.  Frederick  A.  Worcester,  Harvard  Uni- 
versity, 183 1. 

In  addition  to  these  five  sons,  who  were  college 
graduates,  two  other  sons  fitted  and  entered  college.  Jesse 
Worcester,  Jr.,  born  1782,  fitted  for,  and  afterward  entered 
Harvard  College,  1809,  and  died  in  1809.  His  brothers 
have  credited  him  with  being  the  quickest  of  apprehension, 
and  having  the  greatest  natural  scope  of  intellect  of  an\' 
of  them.  Rev.  Grant  Powers,  in  a  centennial  address, 
delivered  at  Hollis,  in  September,  1830,  says  of  him : 
"Jesse  Worcester,  Jr.,  was  a  rare  youth.''  ***** 
"Over  his  remains,  Genius  wept  for  a  favorite  son,  and 
the  world  sustained  a  loss  of  which  she  was  unconscious." 
David  Worcester,  born  1808,  entered  the  Freshman  class  at 
Harvard  College  in  1828,  where  he  remained  till  near  the 
close  of  the  Junior  year,  when  he  left  to  accept  a  lucrative 


^^^         ^ 


ik 


■^-.^?^ 


7  ^^//^^^^-c^^^ 


LAWYERS    AND    PHYSICIANS.  289 

position  as  a  teacher.  It  would  be  difficult  to  find  another 
New  England  family  which  contained  so  man}^  brothers 
who  obtained  a  college  education.  These  men  all  in- 
herited the  large  vital  forces  and  strong  intellectual 
powers  of  their  father. 

Frederick  A.,  fitted  for  college  in  part  at  Pinkerton 
Academy,  in  Deny,  New  Hampshire,  and  partly  at  Phil- 
lips Academy,  Andover.  At  Cambridge,  he  ranked  well 
in  his  class,  which  contained  a  large  number  of  good 
scholars,  among  whom  were  Rev.  John  H.  Morrison. 
Hon.  John  L.  Motley,  who  was  United  States  Minister  at 
one  time  to  Austria,  and  subsequently  in  the  same  office  at 
the  Court  of  St.  James,  Wendell  Phillips,  the  agitator, 
and  others,  who  have  left  their  mark.  Soon  after  his 
graduation  he  commenced  the  study  of  law,  with  Benjamin 
M.  Farley,  in  his  native  village,  where  he  remained  about 
a  year.  From  thence  he  entered  the  law  school  at  Cam- 
bridge, and  continued  his  studies  there  for  one  year.  He 
finished  his  professional  studies  with  George  F.  Farley, 
Esq.,  a  noted  lawyer,  at  Groton,  the  next  year. 

In  September,  1835,  ^^^  came  to  Townsend,  intending 
to  locate  here,  but  at  the  solicitation  of  Hon.  John  B.  Hill, 
(the  historian  of  Mason,  New  Hampshire,)  of  the  law 
firm  of  Appleton  &  Hill,  Bangor,  Maine,  he  was  in- 
duced to  go  to  that  city  and  manage  the  office  business 
of  that  firm.  The  position  not  being  as  agreeable  as  he 
anticipated,  he  returned  to  Townsend,  the  following  sum- 
mer, and  opened  a  law  office.  Since  that  time  he  has 
diligently  applied  himself  to  his  profession,  and  acquired 
a  large  practice.  At  present,  he  is  considered  one  of  the 
best  men  to  prepare  a  case  for  a  jur}-,  that  the  county 
contains.      He  does  not  pretend  to  be  an   advocate,    and  is 


2!)0  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

not  an  eloquent  speaker,  but  he  possesses  a  masculine 
mind,  is  a  good  judge  of  law,  and  when  associated  at  the 
bar  with  a  good  speaker,  his  clients  are  most  always  on  the 
winning  side.  He  appears  to  the  best  advantage  before  a 
bench  of  judges  in  cases  carried  up  to  the  Supreme  Court. 
Mr.  Worcester  is  a  man  of  strong  passions  and  prejudices, 
and  he  generally  takes  more  interest  in  the  causes  en- 
trusted to  his  care  than  his  clients  do.  For  the  last  few 
years  he  has  had  an  office  at  Aver,  residing  in  Townsend. 
In  1854,  ^^^  married  Jane  M.  Kellogg,  of  Amherst. 

The  tirst  physician  in  Townsend,  of  which  anything 
is  know-n,  was  Joseph  Adams,  who  came  to  this  town  in 
1774,  and  left  in  1776,  when  the  patriots  made  it  too 
warm  for  the  tories,  of  which  he  was  one.  A  more  par- 
ticular account  of  this  man  may  be  found  in  that  part  of 
this  w^ork  w^hich  treats  upon  the  loyalists  in  the  revolution. 

Dr.  Samuel  Hosley,  tradition  says,  was  a  surgeon 
in  one  of  the  New^  Hampshire  regiments  in  the  continental 
service.  He  was  in  practice  for  a  long  time,  residing  on 
the  place  now  owned  by  Daniel  Dix,  on  the  east  side  of 
Hathorn's  meadow.  He  was  born  there,  in  1758.  Nothing 
is  known  about  his  preparation  or  education  for  a  physi- 
cian or  svirgeon  ;  and  it  is  probable  that  his  education  was 
quite  limited.      He  married  Mary  Farrar,  of  Concord. 

Dr.  Isaac  Mullikin  originated  from  Bradford.  He 
came  here  from  Lunenburg,  about  1780,  and  located  at  the 
fork  of  the  road,  just  easterly  of  the  bridge  over  the  brook 
that  empties  into  Hathorn's  meadows  from  the  southeast. 
The  house  which  he  built,  and  in  which  he  lived,  is  still 
standing.      Tlie    bridge   over    the    brook    at  that  place  is 


LAWYERS    AND    PHYSICIANS.  291 

called,  in  the  town  records,  the  "ministerial  bridge,"  Mr. 
Hemenway  having  owned  the  land  on  one  side  of  this 
brook,  and  Mr.  Dix  the  other  side.  He  was  a  man  of 
good  culture  and  gentlemanly  deportment,  both  careful 
and  skilful  in  his  profession.  He  was  a  justice  of  the 
peace.  He  was  also  town  clerk  for  a  number  of  years. 
The  records,  made  by  this  gentleman,  are  neat,  legibly 
written,  and  arranged  with  strict  grammatical  accuracy. 
He  was  much  respected  as  a  citizen,  a  physician,  and  as 
an  exemplary  man. 

Dr.  Samuel  Lovejoy  was  born  in  Wilton,  New 
Hampshire,  in  1775.  He  received  his  education  at  New 
Ipswich  Academy.  It  is  not  known  where  he  took  a 
medical  degree,  or  whether  he  ever  took  one.  In  his 
time,  it  was  the  custom  for  young  men  desiring  to  become 
doctors,  to  pass  a  couple  of  years,  more  or  less,  with  some 
experienced  physician,  from  which  apprenticeship  they 
would  emerge,  don  the  Dr.,  and  commence  practice.  Dr. 
Lovejoy,  came  to  Townsend,  in  1802,  and  was  in  practice 
here  more  than  thirty  years.  He  possessed  a  good  share 
of  natural  affability,  had  onl\'  a  few  enemies,  and  was 
considered  a  skilled  and  competent  physician.  He  was 
the  last  doctor  in  town  who  travelled  on  horseback,  with 
saddle-bags,  in  which  to  carry  his  medicines.  During  the 
latter  part  of  his  life  he  became  insane,  and  continued,  at 
times,  in  that  condition  for  a  long  time,  which  was  a 
source  of  much  grief  and  trouble  to  his  friends  and  rel- 
atives. In  1802,  he  married  Betsey  Lawrence,  of  Groton. 
the  oldest  sister  of  Hon.  Abbott  Lawrence.  For  a  second 
wife,  he  married  Sarah  Barr,  of  New  Ipswich,  in  1831. 
He  died  in  1851,  aged  76. 


292  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

Dr.  Moses  Kidder  was  a  native  of  Billerica.  He 
titted  for  college,  and  entered  Williams  College,  two  years 
in  advance,  where  he  spent  the  junior  year  in  1810,  but  he 
did  not  proceed  further  in  a  collegiate  course.  Most  of 
the  year  181 1,  he  was  studying  with  Dr.  Stickney,  of  An- 
trim, New  Hampshire,  and  the  next  year  he  was  with  Dr. 
Matthias  Spaulding,  of  Amherst,  New  Hampshire,  who, 
probably,  was  the  best  educated  physician  and  surgeon,  at 
that  time,  in  the  state.  In  1813,  he  was  a  surgeon  at  Fort 
Warren.  He  practiced  medicine  at  Dublin,  New  Hamp- 
shire, two  or  three  years.  He  also  was  in  practice  at 
Littleton  and  Ashby,  a  short  time  at  each  place.  He  came 
to  West  Townsend  and  began  practicing  medicine  about 
1822.  He  was  skilful,  and  had  a  large  business,  some- 
times riding  long  distances  to  consult  with  his  medical 
brethren  in  difficult  cases.  He  did  not  have  good  health 
all  the  time,  and  occasionally,  through  over-exertion  and 
anxiety,  his  physical  condition  was  such  that  he  should 
have  been  a  patient  rather  than  a  medical  adviser.  On 
the  tenth  of  December,  1814,  he  married  Rachel  Kendall, 
of  Miltbrd,  New  Hampshire.  About  1835,  he  moved  to 
Lowell,  where  he  continued  in  the  practice  of  his  profes- 
sion, and  where  he  died. 

Dr.  John  Bertram  was  a  native  of  Peterborough, 
New  Hampshire,  born  1794.  He  took  his  medical  degree 
at  Dartmouth  College  in  1825.  He  was  in  practice  in  one 
of  the  towns  of  Hillsborough  county,  New  Hampshire, 
with  one.  Dr.  Farley,  for  about  two  years.  He  came  to 
this  town  in  1827,  and  entered  upon  the  duties  of  physician 
and  surgeon  at  Townsend  Centre.  He  died  in  December, 
1846.      During   the    nineteen  years   in   which   he   was  in 


LAWYERS    AND    PHYSICIANS.  2J)o 

practice  here,  he  obtained  an  extensive  acquaintance,  a 
good  reputation,  and  the  confidence  of  the  community. 
He  had  many  friends,  and  but  few  enemies.  He  married 
Mary,  only  daughter  of  Deacon  Joel  Adams. 

Dr.  Ebenezer  P.  Hills  was  born  in  Newbury, 
1804.  He  fitted  for  college,  but  did  not  take  a  collegiate 
course  of  study.  He  studied  medicine  and  took  his  medi- 
cal degree  from  Bowdoin  College,  in  1825,  where  he 
ranked  well  as  a  scholar.  He  came  to  Townsend  Harbor 
and  began  practice  there  in  1825,  and  remained  there 
in  business  about  twenty  3'ears. 

He  possessed  more  tiian  ordinary  natural  abilities : 
was  agreeable  in  his  manners,  fond  of  company,  and  en- 
joyed a  good  joke  or  a  playful  repartee.  He  spent  the 
last  part  of  his  life  at  Shirle}-  Centre,  where  he  died  in 
1854,  ^^^  the  fiftieth  year  of  his  age.  He  married  (i)  Ruth 
Perkins,  of  Lunenburg,  in  1826  ;  {2)  Betsey  Perkins,  of 
Lunenburg,  in  1828:  (3)  Sophia  Gerrish,  daughter  of 
Paul  Gerrish,  Esq.,  of  Townsend  Harbor,  in  1841. 

Dr.  John  Heard  was  born  about  1810,  in  the  state 
of  Maine.  In  1838,  he  took  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of 
Medicine,  at  Dartmouth  College.  He  practiced  medicine 
at  Acworth,  Hopkinton,  and  Rindge,  New  Hampshire, 
and  at  Leominster  and  Townsend.  He  was  at  Townsend 
Centre  most  of  the  time  from  1852  to  1861.  He  rode  in 
good  style,  after  a  well-cared-for  fast  horse,  the  team  con- 
stituting the  greater  part  of  his  wealth.  Mr.  Stearns,  the 
historian  of  Rindge,  says  of  him  :  "It  is  probable  that  Dr. 
Heard  was  deficient  neither  in  skill  or  natural  abilit}'  ;  but 
his  cynical  manners  and  current  conversation  repelled  the 
respect  and  confidence  of  the  community." 


294  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

Dr.  Augustus  G.  Stickney  was  born  in  Antrim, 
New  Hampshire,  1807.  He  was  the  son  of  Dr.  Jeremiah 
Stickney,  who  was  a  practicing  physician  in  that  town  for 
many  years.  After  acquiring  a  good  academical  educa- 
tion, he  entered  the  Berkshire  Medical  College,  at  Pitts- 
tield,  where  he  graduated  as  a  Bachelor  of  Medicine,  in 
1833.  Dr.  Stickney  married  Louise  Wilson,  of  Antrim, 
in  1834,  ^^d  established  himself  in  business,  at  West 
Townsend,  the  same  year.  He  did  a  good  share  of  the 
work  required  in  this  vicinity,  and  stood  well  with  the 
members  of  the  medical  profession.  He  was  admitted  as 
a  member  of  the  Massachusetts  Medical  Society,  in 
1844.  He  died,  August,  1862,  much  lamented  and  highly 
respected. 

Dr.  Royal  B.  Boynton  was  born  in  Pepperell, 
in  1836.  While  he  was  a  student  at  Lawrence  Academy, 
Groton,  under  James  Means,  principal,  he  was  attacked 
with  a  severe  inflammation  of  the '  eyes  and  partial  loss  of 
sight,  at  about  the  time  he  was  finishing  his  preparatory 
studies,  with  the  intention  of  entering  college,  one  year  in 
advance.  For  nearly  a  year  he  was  almost  entireh'  unfit 
for  study.  Like  many  professional  men,  he  took  his  turn 
as  schoolmaster,  to  raise  money  to  pay  the  expenses  of  an 
education  ;  abandoning  the  idea  of  a  liberal  education,  he 
attended  the  Medical  College,  at  Woodstock,  Vermont, 
and  took  his  degree  from  that  institution,  in  1852.  He 
came  to  Townsend  Centre,  in  1853,  and  devoted  a  large 
part  of  his  time  to  dentistry,  in  which  business  he  was  well 
patronized.  Subsequently,  he  moved  to  West  Townsend, 
where  lie  is  still  in  practice.  Lately  he  has  laid  aside  his 
dentistry,  and  given  his  attention  to  the  general  duties  of 
physician  and  surgeon,  in  which  capacity  he  has  many 
friends  and  mam-  enemies.      He  is  quite  skilful,  and  has  a 


LAWYERS    AND    PHYSICIANS.  295 

large  practice.    He  married  Josephine  Taft,  November  12, 
1863. 

Dr.  Edward  J.  Donnell  was  born  in  Lynde- 
borough,  New  Hampshire,  in  1835.  He  graduated  at 
Appleton  Academy,  New  Ipswich,  New^  Hampshire.  He 
spent  most  of  the  time  for  three  years,  after  his  graduation, 
with  Dr.  Marshall,  of  Mason  Village,  New  Hampshire, 
in  the  study  of  medicine  and  surgery,  in  which  pursuit  he 
was  engaged  at  the  outbreak  of  the  rebellion.  He  enlisted, 
in  1862,  into  the  Fifteenth  Regiment,  New  Hampshire 
Volunteers,  Company  C,  in  which  he  was  second  lieuten- 
ant. After  this  regiment  was  mustered  out  of  service,  he 
enlisted  into  the  Thirteenth  Maryland  Infantry  as  assistant 
surgeon,  in  which  capacity  he  served  till  the  close  of  the 
war.  His  experience  in  this  regiment  was  of  great  value 
to  him.  On  his  return  to  New  Hampshire,  in  1864,  he 
immediately  entered  the  medical  department  at  Dartmouth 
College,  and  took  his  degree  at  that  institution,  in  1865. 
He  commenced  practice  at  Athol,  and  was  there  about  tw^o 
years.  He  came  to  West  Townsend,  and  entered  upon 
the  practice  of  medicine,  in  1870,  and  continued  until 
October,  1876,  when  he  left  for  Kansas.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  New  Hampshire  Medical  Societ}^  He  married 
Ellen  Prescott,  of  Mason,  New  Hampshire. 

Dr.  Charles  J.  Towne  was  born  in  Stoddard,  New 
Hampshire,  in  1840.  He  was  fond  of  his  books  when  a 
child,  and  made  rapid  progress  as  a  scholar.  From  the 
common  school  he  went  to  the  "Valley  Seminary,"  a  good 
institution,  at  Westmoreland,.  New  Hampshire,  where, 
after  a  course  of  three  years,  he  graduated,  in  1857.  He 
studied  medicine  with  Dr.  O.  H.  Bradle}',  at  East  Jaffrey, 
New  Hampshire,  and  afterward  took  a   regular   course   of 


■i!M)  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

^itudy  at  the  Colleg-e  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  in  the 
City  of  New  York,  where  he  graduated,  in  1865.  He 
settled  in  practice  at  Richmond,  New  Hampshire,  and 
continued  there  about  two  years.  In  1867,  he  moved  to 
Townsend  Centre,  where  he  has  remained  to  the  present 
time.  During  his  practice  of  ten  years  in  this  town,  he 
has  made  a  good  record.  He  has  generally  been  called 
the  second  time,  and  onward,  after  once  making  the  ac- 
quaintance of  a  family.  He  responds  at  once  to  all  calls 
for  his  services,  no  matter  what  the  weather,  distance  to  be 
travelled,  or  condition  of  the  roads  may  be,  and  he  keeps 
his  appointments.  October  23,  1868,  he  married  Nancie 
Lewis,  daughter  of  Benjamin  F.  Lewis,  Esq.  He  is  a 
modest  man — seldom  uses  the  perpendicular  pronoun — 
keeps  his  own  counsel  and  minds  his  own  business. 

The  following  names  comprise  the  list  of  the  seven- 
teen Townsend  men  who  graduated  at  college.  It  \\\\\  be 
noticed  that  their  record  is  very  creditable  to  the  town  : — 

John  Hubbard,  Dartmouth  College,  1785. 
Abraham  Butterfield,  Dartmouth  College,  1796. 
Daniel  Adams,  Dartmouth  College,  1797. 
Joseph  Walker,  Bowdoin  College,  1818. 
William  Farmer,   Harvard  College,  1819. 
John  Stevens,  Middlebury  College,  1821. 
Joel  Giles,   Harvard  College,  1829. 
John  Graham,  Amherst  College,  1829. 
John  Giles,  Harvard  College,  1831. 
Charles  Brooks,  Yale  College,  1853. 
Warren  Brooks,  Harvard  College,  1855. 
Mark  Davis,   Dartmouth  College,  1856. 
Charles  T.   Haynes,  Amherst  College,  1862. 
John  M.   Proctor,  Dartmouth  College,  1863. 
Randall  Spaulding,  Yale  College,  1870. 
Eliel  S.  Ball,  Dartmouth  College,  1874. 
Wayland  Spaijldin(;,  Yale  College,  1874. 


COLLEGE    GRADUATES.  297 

John  Hubbard  was  the  first  person  of  this  town  who 
aspired  to  and  received  college  honors.  He  was  born  in 
1759.  Graduated  at  Dartmouth  College,  1785.  Died  at 
Hanover,  1810,  aged  fifty-one.  He  worked  on  a  farm  till 
he  arrived  at  majority,  when  he  commenced  fitting  for 
college,  and  at  the  age  of  twenty-two  entered  Dartmouth. 
He  studied  theology  after  his  graduation  and  commenced 
preaching,  but  found  his  voice  too  feeble  for  a  public 
speaker.  He  was  the  first  preceptor  of  New  Ipswich 
Academy,  from  1789  to  1795.  and  by  his  good  management 
the  academy  was  brought  into  public  favor.  In  1797,  he 
was  engaged  as  preceptor  of  Walpoie  Academy.  In  1798. 
he  was  appointed  Judge  of  Probate  for  Cheshire  Countv. 
New  Hampshire,  which  ofiice  he  held  till  1802,  when  he 
resigned.  He  was  then  chosen  preceptor  of  Deerfield 
Academy,  but  on  the  death  of  one  of  the  professors  of 
Dartmouth  College,  he  was  elected  to  the  vacant  chair  of 
Mathematics  and  Natural  Philosophy,  in  that  college, 
which  office  he  held  until  his  death.  He  was  a  man  of 
much  versatility  of  talent,  an  excellent  mathematician,  a 
good  linguist  and  noted  musician.  During  his  professor- 
ship he  was  very  popular  with  the  graduating  classes.  In 
1803,  he  published  "The  Rudiments  of  Geography,"  and 
the  "American  Reader"  in  1808.  He  wrote  an  essay  on 
music,  which  was  read  before  the  Middlesex  musical 
association,  afterwards  ordered  to  be  printed.  This  Asso- 
ciation numbered  among  its  members  Rev.  David  Palmer, 
of  Townsend,  Rev.  Daniel  Chaplain,  of  Groton,  Rev. 
John  Bullard,  of  Pepperell,  Rev.  Ebenezer  Hill,  of  Mason. 
Lowell  Mason,  and  many  others  of  the  best  musical  talent 
and  culture.  "Hubbard's  Anthems,  Newburyport,  1814," 
was  one  of  the  favorite  books  of  those  times. 


298  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

This  collection  of  tunes,  compiled  by  John  Hubbard, 
was  used  at  all  the  ordinations,  installations  and  thanks- 
givings for  more  than  twenty-tive  years.  Hubbard  was  the 
author  of  one  of  the  anthems,  and  his  opinion  was  the  law 
of  this  association.  Every  fashion  has  its  time  to  flourish 
and  then  pass  away,  still  those  old  tunes,  sung  and 
executed  as  they  were,  both  for  sublimity  of  movement 
and  sweetness  of  melody,  once  heard,  can  never  be  for- 
gotten. Prof.  Hubbard  was  of  a  genial  disposition, 
enthusiastic  in  every  enterprise  in  which  he  engaged. 
Perhaps  one  of  his  weak  points  was  his  excessive  loudness 
for  sacred  music,  on  which  he  spent  much  time,  it  may  be, 
at  the  expense  of  more  solid  and  scholarly  attainments. 
He  died  while  he  was  professor,  and  was  buried  at  Han- 
over, New  Hampshire,  highly  respected  b}^  the  college 
officers  and  students,  and  beloved  by  a  large  circle  of 
relatives  and  friends.  Dartmouth  has  given  to  the  world 
riper  scholars  and  greater  men,  but  not  one  has  gone  forth 
from  her  venerable  halls  with  a  keener  sense  of  truth  and 
duty,  or  who  carried  a  better  heart  in  his  breast  than  John 
Hubbard. 

Abraham  Butterfield  was  born  in  a  house  which 
stood  near  Pepperell  line,  in  1769.  Graduated  at  Dart- 
mouth College,  1796.  This  graduate  assisted  his  father 
on  a  farm,  in  the  support  of  a  large  family,  till  he  was 
twenty-one  years  of  age,  when  he  commenced  titting  for 
college.  He  earned  most  of  the  money  expended  for  his 
education,  by  labor  on  a  farm  and  district  school-teaching. 
Soon  after  his  graduation  he  commenced  the  study  of  law, 
teaching  at  the  same  time.  There  is  no  account,  however, 
of  his  taking  a  degree    from    any    law   school,    or   that   he 


COLLEGE    GRADUATES.  299 

was  ever  a  practical  lawyer.  He  was  a  successful  teacher 
for  a  number  of  years,  in  Cambridge,  and  other  places  in 
the  vicinity  of  Boston.  In  1811,  he  was  a  major  in  the 
Massachusetts  militia,  and  during  the  same  year  a  member 
of  the  Massachusetts  Legislature. 

He  subsequently  moved  to  Machiasport,  Maine,  where 
he  engaged  in  the  milling  and  lumber  business.  In  1830. 
he  represented  Machias  in  the  Maine  Legislature.  He 
was  a  police  magistrate,  at  Machiasport,  for  a  long  time, 
always  holding  one  or  more  of  the  offices  in  the  gift  of  the 
town.  He  was  greatly  interested  in  the  cause  of  tem- 
perance and  a  zealous  advocate  of  the  so  called  "Maine 
Liquor  Law."  He  spent  the  last  years  of  his  life,  with 
one  of  his  sons,  at  Bowdoinham,  Maine,  where  he  died, 
in  1857,  aged  eighty-eight. 

He  was  a  quiet  gentleman,  his  good  judgment,  his 
reticense  and  his  perfect  honesty,  securing  tor  him  that 
good  name  which  is  an  honor  to  his  memory,  his  native 
town,  and  his  Alma  Mater. 

Prominent  among  this  interesting  group  of  collegians. 
and  deservedly  so,  is  Daniel  Adams,  a  grandson  of  one 
of  the  original  proprietors  of  Town  send.  Born  in  1773. 
graduated  at  Dartmouth  College,  1797,  and  died  at  Keene, 
New  Hampshire,  in  1864,  aged  ninety-one  years.  His 
father  was  one  of  the  tew  men  of  this  town,  at  that  time, 
who  possessed  sufficient  pecuniar\-  means  to  educate  a 
son  at  college.  He  received  the  degree  of  Doctor  of 
Medicine,  at  Hanover,  New  Hampshire,  in  1799.  He 
married  the  only  daughter  of  Dr.  Mullikin,  of  Townsend. 
and  located  at  Leominster,  where  he  commenced  as  a 
practical  physician.  Leominster,  like  most  large  towns, 
joined  in  the  funeral    services  in    honor  of  Washington,  in 


30.0  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

the  winter  of  1800,  and  Dr.  Adams  was  chosen  to  deliver 
the  eulog}-,  which  duty  he  performed  in  an  impressive 
and  eloquent  manner.  The  town  ordered  the  eulogy  to 
be  printed,  and  served  to  ever}-  legal  voter.  In  1801,  he 
engaged  with  Salmon  Wilder,  in  publishing  a  weekly 
newspaper  at  Leominster,  called  "The  Telescope."  This 
publication  continued  about  a  3'ear,  when  he  conceived 
the  idea  of  his  "Scholars'  Arithmetic,"  which  caused  the 
"Telescope"  to  be  laid  aside  to  give  place  to  the  new 
enterprise.  "The  Scholars'  Arithmetic,  Leominster,  1803," 
was  received  wnth  much  favor,  and  filled  just  the  place 
in  our  district  schools  for  which  it  was  intended  by  its 
ingenious  author.  Pike's  Arithmetic,  used  in  the  schools 
at  that  time,  contained  the  advanced  principles  in  the 
science,  but  was  wanting  in  simplicity  and  adaptation  to  the 
minds  of  those  who  were  able  to  attend  school  only  a  few 
weeks  in  the  course  of  the  year.  Generally  the  teachers 
had  a  copy  of  Pike's  Arithmetic,  which  was  comparatively 
a  costly  book,  which  answered  for  the  whole  school.  The 
"Scholars'  Arithmetic,"  a  first-class  text  book,  containing 
all  that  is  necessary  for  any  business  man  to  know  of  that 
science,  fully  equal,  if  not  superior  to  any  book  of  the 
kind  now  in  use,  and  offered  at  a  reasonable  price,  was 
received  with  great  interest  by  all  our  common  schools. 

Plis  "Understanding  Reader,"  and  a  treatise  on 
Geography,  were  published  in  1808.  These  two  books 
were  not  so  popular  as  his  Arithmetic,  although  the 
Understanding  Reader  was  used  considerably. 

Dr.  Adams  went  from  Leominster  to  Boston,  and 
engaged  in  teaching,  where  he  remained  for  a  few  \ears, 
when,  fmding  his  health  begin  to  fail,  he  removed  to  the 
airy     town     of     Mont     Vernon,     New     Hampshire,     and 


COLLEGE    GRADUATES.  301 

resumed  the  practice  of  medicine.  This  locality  brought 
him  in  frequent  contact  with  the  celebrated  Dr.  Matthias 
Spaulding,  of  Amherst,  New  Hampshire,  who  scarcely 
had  a  peer  in  his  profession.  The  most  friendly  relations 
existed  between  these  men.  They  were  the  consulting 
physicians  in  that  part  of  the  state.  Let  it  be  remarked 
here,  that  Dr.  Adams  was  eminently  an  intellectual  man. 
He  liked  to  investigate  the  cause  of  things,  to  lay  open 
their  hidden  relations  and  affinities.  Such  an  intellect 
may  be  compared  to  the  head-light  of  a  locomotive,  that 
darts  its  rays  far  along  the  track.  In  1822,  he  became  a 
member  of  the  New  Hampshire  Historical  Society,  and 
soon  after,  a  member  of  the  New  Hampshire  Medical 
Society,  of  which,  at  one   time,   he  was  president. 

From  Mont  Vernon  he  went  to  Keene,  New  Hamp- 
shire, where  he  prepared  "Adams'  New  Arithmetic, 
Keene,  1828."  This  school  book  was  considered,  by  good 
judges,  as  inferior  to  the  "Scholars'  Arithmetic."  "The 
Monitorial  Reader,''  published  the  last  of  any  of  his 
school  books,  was  very  favorably  received  by  school  com- 
mittees and  educators.  In  scholarship,  at  Dartmouth,  he 
ranked  among  the  first  third  of  his  class,  and  was  a 
member  of  the  Phi  Beta  Kappa  Society.  There  was  a 
semi-centennial  meeting  of  his  class  at  the  commencement 
at  Dartmouth  College,  in  1847,  at  which  seven  of  the 
original  thirty  were  in  attendance.  Three  or  four  of  this 
number  had  not  seen  each  other  during  the  fifty  years. 
In  a  letter  written  to  Rev.  David  Palmer,  of  this  town, 
giving  an  account  of  the  meeting.  Dr.  Adams  regrets 
that  Mr.  Palmer  was  unable  to  be  present.  It  appears 
that  Phineas  White,  a  member  of  the  class  of   1797,    died 


802  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

in  1847.  and  these  seven  class-mates,  at  this  their  semi- 
centennial meeting,  prepared  and  forwarded  a  letter  of 
condolence  to  his  widow.  The  letter  to  Mr.  Palmer, 
describes  all  the  particulars  of  this  meeting,  and  contains 
a  copy  of  the  letter  of  condolence,  giving  the  names  of 
the  seven  signers  thereto,  all  of  which  is  very  affecting. 
The  Doctor,  at  the  close  of  his  letter  to  Mr.  Palmer,  adds 
this  as  a  postscript:  "After  preparing  the  letter,  we 
united  with  Brother  Cabot,  in  a  very  affecting  and  fervent 
prayer  ;  when  taking  each  other  by  the  hand  for  the  last 
time,  we  parted,  crying  like  babies." 

We  regret  that  our  limits  compel  us  to  take  leave  of 
this  graduate,  whose  life-work  of  ninety-one  years  was 
one  continuity  of  good  acts,  not  only  in  guiding  the 
youthful  mind  in  the  acquisition  of  useful  knowledge,  in 
assisting  the  poor  and  the  destitute,  in  soothing  the  dying, 
but  in  bequeathing  to  us,  and  especially  to  every  one  by 
the  name  of  Adams,  an  exemplary  character,  worthy  of 
lasting  and  affectionate  remembrance. 

Joseph  Walker  was  born  on  Bayberry  Hill,  in 
1792,  graduated  at  Bowdoin  College,  in  1818.  Mr. 
Walker,  acquired  his  education  without  any  pecuniary- 
assistance  from  any  source,  obtaining  funds  by  teaching  as 
he  went  along.  In  the  course  of  his  studies  he  evinced  an 
enterprise  and  determination,  which  gave  a  color  and  char- 
acter to  all  his  professional  acts,  well  worthy  of  his  puri- 
tan ancestry.  Professor  Packard,  of  Bowdoin,  in  answer 
to  enquiries,  says  of  him,  "He  was  a  good  student,  and 
held  a  good  reputation  for  diligence,  and  lor  a  sound, 
discriminating  mind.  His  commencement  part  was  a 
'soliloquy,"    a    part    never    before   or  since    assigned   with 


COLLEGE    GRADUATES.  303 

that  designation.  I  supposed  at  the  time  it  was  so  assigned 
on  account  of  his  reflective  turn.  He  was,  I  know, 
greatly  respected  as  a  student  and  a  man,  his  religious 
character  being  clearly  decided.  He  studied  theology  with 
Rev.  Dr.  Payson,  of  Portland,  Maine,  and  was  afterwards 
settled  as  a  pastor  and  preacher  of  the  Orthodox  Congre- 
gational denomination,  at  Norway,  Maine."  This  synopsis 
of  the  character  of  Mr.  Walker,  b}^  a  gentleman  in  col- 
lege with  him,  whose  venerable  form  still  graces  the  halls 
of  learning  and  religion,  is  exceedingly  valuable.  During 
the  most  active  part  of  Mr.  Walker's  ministry,  strong  and 
heated  religious  controversies  were  entered  into  by  the 
clergy.  The  unitarians  had  just  acquired  ''a  local  habi- 
tation and  a  name,"  and  the  universalists  marshalled  their 
forces  with  consummate  skill  and  ability  under  Balfour, 
Whittemore,  Dean,  and  others.  The  difference  of  opinion 
concerning  the  method  of  baptism  was  another  source  of 
disagreement.  In  all  these  subjects  of  controversy,  Mr. 
Walker  took  an  active  part.  He  published  a  pamphlet, 
with  the  title  "Glance  at  Dean's  120  Reasons  for  being  a 
Universalist,  Portland,  1828,"  and  another  with  the  title, 
"Examination  of  the  New  Testament  Evidence  on  Modes 
of  Baptism,  Portland,  1830."  The  "Glance  at  Dean's 
120  Reasons"  shows  an  amount  of  scholarship,  and  keen 
discrimination,  which  must  have  convinced  even  Mr. 
Dean  that  "he  had  met  a  foeman  worthy  of  his  steel." 
His  sermons  were  ably  and  logicalh'  written,  his  ideas 
being  expressed  often  in  chaste  and  elegant  diction,  but 
his  delivery  and  manner  of  address  were  awkward,  and 
wanting  in  the  graces  of  oratory.  He  died  and  was  buried 
at  Paris,  Maine,  in  185 1,  aged  tifty-nine  years. 


o04  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND, 

William  Farmer  was  the  son  of  Jonas  Farmer, 
born  in  the  south  part  of  the  town,  in  1793.  Graduated 
at  Harvard  University,  in  1819.  He  took  his  degree  from 
the  divinity  school  at  Cambridge,  in  1823,  in  the  class 
with  Rev.  Ezra  Styles  Gannett,  who  lost  his  life,  with 
others,  in  the  fatal  railroad  collision,  near  Revere,  in  187 1. 
William  Farmer,  with  six  of  his  brothers,  all  attended 
school  on  Bayberr}'  Hill.  These  boys,  in  altitude,  were 
of  the  a  la  Lincoln  type,  so  much  so  that,  on  returning 
home  from  a  visit  to  this  school,  Mr.  Palmer  remarked  to 
his  wife,  that  during  the  week  forty-two  feet  of  Farmers 
had  been  in  attendance  at  this  school.  While  fitting  for 
college,  this  graduate  w^as  at  New  Ipswich  Academy  part 
of  the  time,  and  part  of  the  time  at  Groton  Academy.  He 
studied  for  some  time  after  this  with  Rev.  Eli  Smith,  of 
Hollis,  New  Hampshire,  but  whether  this  was  with  a  view 
of  being  a  minister,  without  going  to  college,  is  unknown. 
It  is  quite  certain,  however,  that  the  strongly  marked  cal- 
vinistic  sentiments  of  Rev.  Eli  Smith  were  not  in  accord 
with  the  doctrines  imparted  at  the  Harvard  divinitv  school. 
He  taught  school  tw^o  or  three  years  after  acquiring  his 
profession.  In  1831,  he  was  ordained  over  the  Unitarian 
church,  in  Belgrade,  Maine,  where  he  remained  about  six 
years,  when  he  resigned  his  pastoral  charge.  In  1838  and 
1839,  ^^  supplied  a  Unitarian  pulpit,  in  Dresden,  Maine. 
He  preached  at  Pomfret,  Vermont,  for  about  a  year,  and 
was  in  the  same  calling  at  Fitzwilliam,  New  Hampshire, 
for  a  year  or  more.  During  the  latter  part  of  his  life,  he 
was  an  invalid  for  many  years,  suffering  from  pulmonary 
hemorrhage.  His  decline  was  gradual.  He  exhibited 
great  patience  during  his  illness,  not  a  murmur  or  com- 
plaining word  passing  his  lips.      He  departed   hence,   with 


COLLEGE    GRADUATES.  305 

Christian  resignation,  leaving  a  widow  and  man}'  friends, 
in  1862,  aged  sixty-nine  years. 

John  Stevens  was  born  on  Battery  Hill,  in  1798. 
His  ancestors  came  from  England  and  settled  in  New- 
buryport,  in  1638.  He  is  a  son  of  Solomon  Stevens, 
who  was  the  son  of  Solomon  Stevens,  who  was  the  son  of 
John  Stevens,  of  Groton,  one  of  the  first  proprietors  of 
Mason,  New  Hampshire,  and  he  was  a  descendant  of 
John  Stevens,  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  Andover.  In 
1815,  an  uncle  of  this  graduate,  who  resided  at  Middle- 
bury,  Vermont,  being  on  a  visit  to  the  old  homestead  on 
Battery  Hill,  noticed  young  John,  then  about  seventeen 
years  old,  and  invited  him  to  go  home  with  him,  and 
attend  the  Middlebury  Academy  with  his  son,  a  youth  of 
about  the  same  age,  who  was  then  fitting  for  college. 
This  generous  offer,  so  unexpectedly  tendered  to  him  was 
gladly  accepted.  He  fitted  in  two  years,  at  this  academy, 
and  graduated  at  Middlebury  College,  in  1821,  with  the 
Latin  salutatory  address,  the  second  honor  in  a  good  class 
of  twenty-three  members. 

For  the  year  1822,  he  was  the  preceptor  of  the 
academ}',  at  Montpelier,  Vermont.  In  1823,  he  was  a 
member  of  the  junior  class,  in  Andover  Theological 
Seminary.  In  1824,  he  was  preceptor  of  New  Ipswich 
Academ}-,  and  previous  to  1830,  he  was  for  three  years, 
tutor  in  Middlebury  College. 

In  1831,  he  went  to  Ohio,  under  engagement  to  take 
the  editorial  chair  of  a  new  paper,  at  Cincinnati,  called 
the  "Baptist  Weekly  Journal  of  the  Mississippi  Valley." 
He  was  editor  of  this  paper  for  seven  years.  From  1838 
to    1843,    he    was    Professor    of     intellectual     and    moral 


80()  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

philosophy,  in  Granville  College,  at  Granville,  Ohio. 
From  1843  to  1849,  ^^^  ^''^^  district  secretary  and  agent  of 
the  "American  Baptist  Missionary  Union,"  residing  again 
at  Cincinnati.  During  the  years  1857  and  1858,  he  was  a 
teacher,  in  Fairmount  Seminar}-,  near  Cincinnati.  In 
1859,  ^^  returned  to  Granville,  as  Professor  of  Greek 
and  Latin  languages  in  Dennison  University,  formerly 
Granville  College,  and  so  continued  till  1868,  when  a 
separate  Greek  chair  was  established,  and  he  was  ap- 
pointed Professor  of  Latin  and  literature.  It  appears  that 
he  favored  the  baptist  denomination  even  while  a  student 
at  Andover  Theological  Seminary,  as  he  joined  the  first 
baptist  church  in  Salem,  Rev.  S.  Bolles,  D.  D.,  pastor, 
in  1823.  His  religious  life  and  labors  have  been  spent 
among  the  baptists.  He  was  ordained  as  an  evangelist, 
in  1844,  in  connection  with  his  agency  and  secretaryship 
in  the  cause  of  missions.  In  1873,  the  degree  of  D.  D. 
was  conferred  upon  him,  by  the  Rochester,  New  York, 
University.  Professor  Stevens  has  discharged  the  several 
duties  committed  to  his  trust,  in  a  dignified,  faithful  and 
scholarly  manner.  Probably  his  influence,  in  giving 
character  and  a  high  moral  position  to  Dennison  Univer- 
sity, has  been  as  great  as  that  of  any  one  man.  This 
institution,  under  the  patronage  of  the  baptists,  has  a 
pleasant  and  healthful  location,  at  Granville,  Ohio.  It  is 
in  a  community  distinguished  for  intelligence  and  moralitv, 
and  maintains  a  reputation  that  will  compare  favorabh' 
with  some  of  the  older  colleges  situated  in  the  Eastern 
States,  sending "  forth  a  good  influence  coextensive  with 
the  Mississippi  valle}-.  And  now  when  we  turn  to 
contemplate  the  character  of  Professor  Stevens,  we  behold 
an  aflTectionate  husband  and  father,  a  warm-hearted  friend. 


COLLEGE    GRADUATES.  307 

an  eminently  industrious  and  accurate  classical  scholar,  a 
taithtul  and  successful  teacher,  and  a  modest  christian 
gentleman.      He  died  at  Granville,  Ohio,  in  April,  1877. 

John  Graham  was  born  on  Nissequassick  Hill,  in 
1802,  graduated  at  Aniherst  College,  in  1829,  died  in  1833. 
aged  thirt3'-one  years.  During  the  year  1816,  there  was 
an  unusual  religious  excitement  in  town,  particularly  in 
the  North  End  district.  Several  young  persons  related 
their  religious  experience,  at  the  meetings  held  at  their 
school-house,  and  among  those  was  John  Graham,  then 
about  fourteen  years  old.  Soon  after,  he,  in  company 
with  some  twenty  others,  made  a  public  profession  of  their 
faith,  and  united  with  the  church  of  which  Rev.  David 
Palmer  was  pastor.  From  that  time  he  ardentlv  wished 
to  be  a  gospel  minister,  all  his  hopes  and  plans  looking  to 
and  aiming  at  that  devoutly  wished  for  consummation. 
Unlike  many  collegians,  he  knew  on  the  start  what  calling 
he  would  pursue  on  entering  active  life.  He  commenced 
his  preparatory  studies  with  Mr.  Palmer,  but  spent  more 
than  a  year  at  New  Ipswich  Academy,  before  entering  at 
Amherst.  Although  he  industriously  applied  himself,  as 
much  as  his  health  would  allow,  he  did  not  take  high  rank 
in  scholarship  at  college.  After  his  graduation,  and  while 
teaching  at  Concord,  he  studied  theology  with  Rev.  Mr. 
Southmaid,  who  was  preaching  there  at  that  time.  He  was 
in  attendance  at  the  theological  department  of  Yale 
College  for  some  time,  with  the  intention  of  finishing  his 
studies  there,  but  his  health  failing  he  was  obliged  to 
leave.  In  1831,  he  went  to  Charleston,  South  Carolina, 
where  he  remained  about  a  year  and  a  half,  preaching- 
part  of   the  time,  and    teaching    some.       Not  finding  the 


308  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

location  so  beneficial  to  his  health  as  he  expected,  he 
returned  to  his  father's  home,  and  in  a  few  weeks  died 
there,  of  pulmonary  consumption.  Like  too  many  others, 
he  never  fully  realized  the  high  hopes  and  yearning 
aspirations  of  his  youth,  which  urged  him  on  in  the 
acquirement  of  the  important  and  sacred  profession  of  his 
choice.  His  best  eulogy  is  spoken  when  we  assert,  that, 
after  adopting  the  calling  to  which  he  aspired  with  his 
whole  heart,  he  performed  every  duty  incumbent  on  him, 
with  marked  sincerity  and  faithfulness,  through  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life,  until  he  arrived  at  that  ''inevitable 
hour"  when  he  crossed  the  peaceful  river,  with  his  eyes 
triumphantly  fixed  on  the  shining  gates  of  the  "celestial 
city." 

Joel  Giles  was  born  on  Nissequassick  Hill,  in 
1804,  fitted  for  college  with  Rev.  David  Palmer,  and 
graduated  at  Harvard  University,  in  1829.  Edward 
Giles,  the  earliest  American  ancestor  of  that  part  of  the 
numerous  Giles  family  to  which  our  graduate  belongs, 
came  from  Salisbury,  in  Wiltshire,  England,  to  the  colony 
of  Massachusetts  Bay,  in  1633,  ^^'^  settled  in  what  is  now 
the  town  of  Peabody.  Giles  is  a  name  familiar  to  readers 
of  English  history.  The  honors  of  knighthood  have  been 
enjoyed  by  at  least  three  of  that  name,  and  their  coat-of- 
arms  has  come  down  from  unquestionable  antiquity.  The 
subject  of  this  sketch  needs  no  ancestral  renown  to  recom- 
mend him  to  our  confidence,  and  we  venture  the  opinion 
that  he  holds  the  stern  virtues  of  the  Pilgrim  Fathers,  from 
whicli  he  is  descended,  in  much  higher  regard  than  all 
the  sprigs  of  chivalry  that  ever  blossomed  on  his  genea- 
logical tree.    From  1831  to  1834,  ^'^^  ^^'^^  tutor,  in  Harvard 


drrt^  ^p^^ 


COLLEGE    GRADUATES.  309 

University.  The  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Laws  was  con- 
ferred on  him  by  the  same  institution,  in  1837.  He  opened 
a  law  office,  in  Boston,  and  became  distinguished  in  his 
profession.  He  never  acquired  notoriety  as  a  jury  lawyer 
or  advocate,  but  whenever  the  Boston  merchants  wanted 
to  know  about  any  point  where  their  legal  interests  were  in 
jeopardy,  Joel  Giles  was  the  man  whom  they  would  con- 
sult for  an  opinion,  and  he  would  furnish  the  brain-work 
to  be  elaborated  in  the  oratory  of  an  associate.  He  was 
appreciated  by  the  entire  bar  of  Suffolk  County,  for  his 
legal  and  judicial  ability.  On  the  Fourth  of  July,  1848, 
he  delivered  the  oration  before  the  municipal  authorities 
of  the  City  of  Boston.  He  has  been  a  member  of  both 
branches  of  the  Massachusetts  Legislature,  for  Boston, 
and  in  1853,  he  was  a  prominent  member  of  the  Massa- 
chusetts Constitutional  Convention.  During  the  last  few 
years,  he  has  divided  the  time  which  he  has  devoted  to 
business,  between  the  cities  of  Boston,  New  York,  and 
Washington,  as  a  patent-office  lawyer.  Mr.  Giles  is  a 
bachelor,  a  gentleman  of  benevolence,  rather  conservative 
in  his  tastes,  and  withal  an  honest  man,  which  is  "the 
noblest  work  of  God." 

John  Giles,  the  youngest  brother  of  the  last  de- 
scribed graduate,  was  born  on  Nissequassick  Hill,  in  1806. 
He  also  fitted  for  college  with  Rev.  David  Palmer,  who 
said  he  was  the  best  scholar  that  ever  fitted  for  college 
with  him.  He  required  the  least  assistance  and  prompt- 
ing, both  while  in  preparation  for,  and  at  the  University, 
of  any  in  his  class.  The  difficult  parts  and  knotty  points, 
in  all  his  lessons,  were  always  overcome  and  solved  before 


310  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

he  entered  the  recitation  room.  He  possessed  a  vvell- 
bahmced,  penetrating  mind,  well  adapted  to  either  lan- 
guages or  mathematics,  so  that  he  went  through  his 
collegiate  career  in  a  manner  calculated  to  give  him  excel- 
lent mental  discipline.  Before  graduating  at  Cambridge, 
he  united  with  the  Congregational  Orthodox  Church,  in 
Cambridgeport,  under  the  pastoral  care  of  Rev.  William 
A.  Stearns,  D.  D.,  now  president  of  Amherst  College.  He 
was  pleasing  in  his  manners,  and  prepossessing  in  his 
person,  having  an  agreeable  temper,  and  a  heart  "full  of 
the  law  of  kindness."  John  Giles  aimed  high.  He  in- 
tended to  have  been  an  author.  He  did  publish  a  book, 
of  much  merit  in  its  way,  entitled  "The  Latin  Reader  for 
Beginners."  He  was  a  successful  teacher,  at  Jamaica 
Plain,  for  some  time,  and  he  read  law  in  the  office  of  the 
noted  legal  firm  of  Parsons  &  Stearns,  in  Boston.  Soon 
after  his  graduation,  he  was  attacked  with  a  disease  of  the 
lungs,  which  finally  caused  his  death.  This  incapacitated 
him  for  any  mental  labor  during  a  period  of  five  or  six 
years.  He  died  at  the  house  of  his  brother.  Deacon 
Daniel  Giles,  in  Townsend,  June,  1838,  aged  thirty-two 
years. 

In  addition  to  what  has  been  said  concerning  his 
intellectual  strength,  we  may  add  that  his  moral  and 
religious  life  was  everything  that  a  truly  good  man  would 
wish  to  review,  at  that  tr3'ing  hour,  when  about  to  leave 
this  earthly  existence.  His  older  brothers,  Daniel  and 
Joel,  were  the  only  members  of  his  kindred,  in  this  town, 
who  survived  him.  Daniel  has  since  died,  but  Joel  re- 
mains, the  only  one  of  the  name,  of  Townsend  birth,  who 
now,  at  the  age  of  more  than  three  score  and  ten,  and  after 
the    lapse    of    thirty-nine   years,    frequently    recurs    to   the 


COLLEGE    GRADUATES.  311 

untimely    death  of    his  brother,    and  with  a  sigh  thinks  of 
"what  might  have  been." 

Charles  Brooks  was  born  on  Nissequassick  Hill,  in 
1831.  Graduated  at  Yale  College,  in  1853,  died  in  1866, 
aged  thirty-five  years.  He  pursued  his  preparatory  studies 
with  the  ministerial  office  in  full  view  before  him.  He 
learned  the  languages  easily,  so  much  so,  that  he  received 
many  compliments  from  the  president  and  professors,  at 
Yale,  where  he  took  a  good  rank  in  his  class.  After  his 
graduation,  he  commenced  the  study  of  divinity,  at  Yale, 
but  spent  the  last  year  of  the  course  at  Andover  Theologi- 
cal Seminary.  In  1858,  he  was  ordained  over  the  church 
and  society,  at  Byfield,  a  parish  in  the  old  town  of  New- 
bury. He  married,  in  1858,  Miss  N.  L.  Adams,  of  this 
town. 

After  remaining  at  Bytield  about  seven  years,  where 
he  was  a  very  acceptable  preacher,  he  received  a  call 
from  the  church  at  Unionville,  Connecticut,  which  he 
accepted.  He  had  scarcely  commenced  the  discharge  of 
his  duties  in  his  new  situation,  when  in  September,  1865, 
he  was  attacked  with  pulmonary  consumption,  which 
caused  his  death,  in  Jane,  1866.  In  person.  Rev.  Mr. 
Brooks  was  medium  size,  light  hair,  (almost  flaxen,)  a 
good  eye,  which  sparkled  in  a  countenance  lighted  up 
with  a  smile  for  all  who  approached  him.  He  never  was 
contentious,  either  as  a  student,  citizen  or  clergyman, 
never  intentionally  injured  the  feelings  of  anv  one,  and 
never  preached  politics.  Rev.  S.  H.  Tolman,  of  Wil- 
mington, in  an  obituary  address,  said  of  Mr.  Brooks,  "He 
telt    the     disappointment    of    so    early    a    departure    verv 


H12  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

keenly.''  Said  he  to  Mr.  Tolman  :  "I  have  all  the 
feelings  of  a  husband  and  a  father,  a  young  man  and  a 
minister.  I  love  this  good  work,  and  the  future  in  that 
tield  whither  God  in  his  providence  has  so  recently  sent 
me,  opens  before  me  so  bright,  with  such  promise  of 
sheaves  to  be  garnered  into  the  heavenly  store-house," — he 
hesitated  a  little  and  then  said,  "but  it  is  all  right — I  have 
more  confidence  in  God's  wisdom  than  my  own.  Thy 
will,  not  mine,  be  done."  Of  his  last  days,  Mr.  Tolman 
says  :  "He  manifested  just  that  sweet  confidence  in  God, 
just  that  calm  and  intelligent  resting  on  the  doctrines  of 
the  gospel,  which  constituted  a  most  fitting  end  to  all  that 
he  had  been,  and  preached  and  done."  Nothing  can  be 
added  to  these  closing  words  of  the  obituary,  except, 
perhaps  it  may  be  remarked  in  the  words  of  another, 
that  "God  buries  his  workman,  but  still  carries  on  the 
work." 

Warren  Brooks,  a  brother  of  Charles  Brooks, 
(just  described,)  was  born  in  1829.  He  entered  Yale 
College,  in  1851,  and  remained  there  till  his  brother's 
graduation,  in  1853,  when  he  left  Yale,  and  joined  the 
junior  class  at  Harvard  University,  where  he  graduated, 
in  1855.  In  scholarship,  he  ranked  in  the  first  fourth  of 
his  class,  which  was  large,  and  contained  some  excellent 
scholars.  Rev.  Phillips  Brooks,  the  popular  Boston 
preacher,  was  one  of  his  classmates  and  friends.  In 
September,  1855,  he  entered  Andover  Theological  Semi- 
nary, and  while  a  member  of  that  institution,  in  1857,  he 
died  of  consumption,  induced  by  too  close  application  to 
his    studies,    aged    twenty-eight   years.       Rather    taciturn 


COLLEGE    GRADUATES.  318 

than  loquacious,  he  possessed  great  modesty  and  a  sensi- 
tive retiracy  of  character,  which  won  for  him  the  respect- 
ful consideration  of  all  with  whom  he  came  in  contact. 
He  devoted  no  time  to  idleness.  From  boyhood,  either 
his  hands,  his  brains,  or  both  were  incessantly  at  work. 
While  pursuing  his  studies,  he  earned  most  of  his  ex- 
penses by  teaching  in  our  common  schools,  in  which  he 
had  complete  success.  He  had  that  agreeableness  and 
dignity  of  address,  which  added  embellishment  both  to 
culture  and  refinement.  For  his  piety  and  purity  of 
character,  as  well  as  his  untiring  industry  both  as  student 
and  teacher,  he  has  left  an  example  worth}-  of  imitation. 

Mark  Davis  was  born  in  1834,  "^^'ithin  a  short  dis- 
tance of  the  birthplace  of  the  two  gentlemen  last  described. 
They  were  school-mates.  Mr.  Davis  fitted  for  college 
partly  in  this  town,  besides  spending  more  than  a  vear  at 
New  Ipswich  Academy.  Townsend  had  an  academy  at 
that  time.  The  natural  brain  powers  of  this  graduate 
were  superior,  which,  together  with  his  prepossessing- 
personal  appearance,  made  him  a  general  favorite  in 
circles  where  wit  and  playful  repartee  went  gayly  round. 
He  was  "Young  America"  in  his  tastes  and  habits,  and 
was  decidedly  popular  with  his  professional  and  political 
associates.  Professor  E.  D.  Sanborn,  of  the  chair  of 
oratory  and  belles-lettres,  in  Dartmouth  College,  where  Mr. 
Davis  graduated,  in  1856,  in  answer  to  a  letter  of  inquiry, 
turnishes  the  following  sentence:  "Mr.  Davis  was  a  man 
of  good  abilities,  and  capable  of  high  attainments,  but 
unfortunately  declined  in  scholarship  towards  the  close  of 
his  college  course."     He  received  the  degree  of  Bachelor 


;)14  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

of  Laws,  at  Poughkeepsie,  New  York,  in  1858.  Soon 
after,  he  commenced  the  practice  of  hiw,  in  Boston,  where 
he  acquired  a  respectable  standing  in  his  profession. 
Having  a  good  knowledge  of  human  nature  and  a  quick- 
ness of  apprehension,  excelled  by  none,  he  was  well 
adapted  to  the  law^  business.  He  w^as  rather  a  prominent 
member  of  the  republican  party,  and  during  his  last  ill- 
ness took  great  interest  in  the  news  from  the  seat  of  w^ar, 
in  which  treason  was  pitted  against  loyalty,  freedom 
against  slavery,  and  he  had  the  pleasure  of  living  long- 
enough  to  hear  the  ringing  of  the  bells  and  the  roaring 
of  the  cannon,  which  announced  that  the  rebellion  was 
crushed — that  the  flag  of  many  stars  was  the  revered  em- 
blem of  an  unbroken  and  restored  nationality.  After 
being  in  business  about  three  years  he  was  taken  with 
consumption.  He  resorted  to  every  means  know  to  science 
to  regain  his  health.  He  went  to  New  Orleans,  hoping 
that  a  change  of  climate  might  be  in  his  favor,  from 
whence  he  returned  to  the  old  homestead,  then  his 
brother's  house,  located  in  full  view  of  the  school-house 
where  he  and  his  comrades  vied  for  the  head  of  the  class, 
where  after  much  suffering  he  died,  in  1865,  aged  thirt}'- 
one  years. 

Sweet  is  home;  "and  dear  the  school-boy  spot 
We  ne'er  forg'et  though  there  we  are  foi'orot." 


Charles  T.  Haynes  was  born  on  Nissequassick 
Hill,  in  1835.  He  graduated  at  Appleton  Academy, 
New  Ipswich,  New  Hampshire,  in  1858:  and  gradu- 
ated at  Amherst  College,  in  1862.  He  studied  tlie- 
ology,  at  Andover.  during  1863   and   1864,   and  was  then 


COLLEGE    GRADUATES.  315 

compelled  to  abandon  his  purpose  of  becoming  a  min- 
ister, on  account  of  sickness.  He  resided  in  Townsend. 
till  1868,  when,  finding  his  health  sutficiently  estab- 
lished, he  embraced  the  profession  of  teacher.  He 
was  principal  of  the  high  school,  at  Edgartown.  from 
1868  to  1870.  He  was  teacher  of  mathematics  in  High- 
land Military  Academy,  at  Worcester,  part  of  the  year 
1870,  which  place  he  left  to  take  charge  of  the  high 
school,  in  Webster,  where  he  remained  till  April,  1872. 
He  then  returned  to  Worcester,  and  from  that  time  to  the 
present,  he  has  been  principal  of  the  Lamartine  School, 
in  that  city,  w^here  he  ranks  high  as  an  educator.  He 
married  Sybel  Wallace,  of  this  town,  in  1870.  A  member 
of  his  class  in  college,  thus  writes  of  him  :  "While  faithful 
in  everything,  he  never  took  high  rank  as  a  scholar, 
standing  about  midway  in  a  large  class,  containing  an 
unusual  number  of  good  scholars.  He  particularly  ex- 
celled in  mathematics,  while  the  languages  were  ditficult 
for  him.  As  a  writer,  he  stood  high,  and  was  chosen  h\ 
the  class  their  prophet.  In  this  capacity  he  did  not  in  the 
least  disappoint  their  expectations,  for  his  prophecv  was 
one  of  the  wittiest,  brightest,  and  most  kindlv,  ever  de- 
livered in  Amherst."  Mr.  Haynes,  through  the  vear 
previous  to  leaving  town,  served  on  the  school  committee, 
in  a  manner  both  profitable  to  the  schools  and  acceptable 
to  his  colleagues.  As  a  teacher,  he  excels  in  seeing  intui- 
tively that  upon  which  the  pupil  blunders,  and  then  by  a 
word  or  two,  helps  the  scholar  to  help  himself.  Above  all 
these  attainments,  which  have  been  enumerated,  either  by 
his  classmate  or  the  writer,  stands  out  in  bold  relief 
an     influential,    unblemished    and     exemplary    character. 


816  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

compared    with    which,    schohirship,    rank    or    fame    are 
as  nothing. 

Long  may  he  live  to  adorn  that  profession  which  fur- 
nishes to  our  youth  that  full  mental  equipment,  which  will 
enable  them,  in  after  years,  to  give  battle  against  every  sin 
and  wrong,  with  which  they  will  be  surrounded. 

John  M.  Proctor,  son  of  Deacon  John  Proctor, 
was  born  in  the  east  part  of  the  town,  in  1839,  and  gradu- 
ated at  Dartmouth  College,  in  1863.  He  fitted  for  college, 
at  Lawrence  Academy,  Groton,  from  whence,  for  his 
strict  attention  to  his  own  business,  he  carried  away  the 
best  wishes  of  his  classmates,  and  the  blessings  of  his 
teachers.  At  college  he  found  the  benefit  of  his  diligence 
at  Groton,  tor  he  took  a  good  rank  in  his  class,  through 
the  entire  college  course.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Phi 
Beta  Kappa  Society.  In  1862,  during  the  war  excitement, 
a  member  of  his  class,  from  Wakefield,  New  Hampshire, 
on  offering  his  services  to  his  country,  was  appointed 
adjutant  of  the  Ninth  New  Hampshire  Regiment.  Before 
leaving  the  state,  however,  he  was  taken  sick  and  died  ; 
whereupon,  b}-  appointment  of  his  class,  Mr.  Proctor 
pronounced  an  appropriate  eulogy,  on  the  life  and  charac- 
ter of  this  volunteer,  before  the  college  faculty  and 
students.  The  eulogy,  printed  at  Hanover,  New  Hamp- 
shire, by  order  of  the  students,  is  an  honor  to  its  author. 
For  the  kindly  and  feeling  w^ords  spoken  of  his  friend  : 
for  its  fitness  to  the  occasion  :  for  its  manliness  and  patriot- 
ism, it  was  happily  received  by  his  auditors,  and  must  have 
been  read  with  deep  interest  by  the  bereaved  relatives  of 
the  deceased.      Prof.   John  Carroll    Proctor,  of  the  Greek 


COLLEGE    GRADUATES.  317 

chair  in  Dartmouth,  thus  writes  :  "John  M.  Proctor  was 
among  the  best  scholars  in  his  class,  quiet,  but  ver}- 
decided  in  his  opinions,  a  good  writer  and  speaker."  He 
might  have  added,  with  equal  justice,  that  he  was  a  good 
thinker  and  debater.  He  spent  some  time  stud3"ing  law, 
and  undoubtedly  he  intended  to  be  a  lawyer.  In  1865,  he 
was  appointed  principal  of  the  "Moravian  Institute,''  an 
advanced  school,  charmingly  situated  near  Geneva  Lake, 
in  the  state  of  New  York.  At  the  close  of  the  first  term  of 
the  second  year  of  his  engagement,  in  1866,  on  account 
of  ill  health,  he  resigned  his  position  and  returned  to  his 
father's  house,  where,  after  a  confinement  to  his  room,  of 
about  two  months,  he  died  of  pneumonia,  aged  twenty- 
six  years. 

No  better  close  to  the  sketch  of  this  graduate  can  be 
made,  than  his  own  language,  applied  to  the  voung 
volunteer,  which  was  as  follows  :  "  We  turn  with  pleasure 
on  an  occasion  like  this,  from  the  contemplation  of  mere 
intellectual  qualities,  to  recall  those  richer  endowments  of 
the  heart  and  affections,  so  eminently  charactei'istic  of 
our  deceased  classmate.  The  fonmer  may,  indeed,  be 
forgotten  :  but  the  latter  will  never  perish  from  our 
remembrance.  Intellectual  ability  of  acknowledged  merit 
we  ma}^  recognize  in  the  streets,  and  in  the  highways  of 
life ;  but  the  genial  companion  and  true  friend  is  rare 
indeed.  When  we  consider  the  talent  of  our  departed 
brother,  we  may  confess  to  a  feeling  of  pride — he  was 
our  classmate  and  a  man  of  ability,  but  when  we  reflect 
upon  his  social  virtues,  his  unselfish  disposition,  his 
sympathetic  nature  and  manl\-  character,  we  are  dissolved 
in  tears." 


H18  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

Randall  Spaulding  was  born  near  Tovvnsend 
Harbor,  in  1845.  Graduated  at  Yale  College,  in  1870, 
with  the  rank  of  fourteenth,  in  a  class  of  one  hundred 
and  twenty  students.  Soon  after  his  graduation,  he  re- 
ceived the  appointment  of  head  master  of  the  high  school, 
at  Rockville,  Connecticut,  where  he  remained  about 
three  years,  when,  wishing  for  a  broader  culture,  and 
desirous  of  securing  the  advantages  of  travel,  he  resigned 
his  position,  in  September,  1873,  went  to  Europe,  and 
passed  a  year  in  Germany,  in  finishing  his  studies. 
From  his  boyhood,  he  has  had  the  profession  of  teacher 
in  view.  He  is  at  present,  principal  of  the  high  school, 
at  Montclair,  New  Jersey,  fifteen  miles  from  New  York 
City,  by  the  way  of  Jersey  City  Ferry,  and  Morris  & 
Essex  Railroad,  and  one  of  the  most  aristocratic  suburban 
settlements.  The  good  people  of  Montclair,  New  Jersey, 
claim  that  they  are  in  possession  of  the  most  elegant 
private  residences,  the  most  ample  school  buildings,  and 
in  the  person  of  Mr.  Spaulding,  the  best  teacher  in  the 
state.  He  is  now  thirty-two  years  old,  well  adapted 
to  his  calling,  enterprising,  having  self-reliance  without 
egotism,  and  genuine  scholarship  without  ostentation. 
He  married  Florence  A.  Chapman. 

Eliel  S.  Ball  was  born  at  Townsend  Centre,  in 
1848.  Graduated  at  Lawrence  Academy,  in  1869,  and 
at  Dartmouth  College,  in  1874.  This  gentleman,  since 
his  graduation,  has  been  a  teacher  at  Lawrence  Academy. 
Through  both  his  academic  and  collegiate  course,  he  was 
higlily  respected  as  a  student  and  a  gentleman.  He  has 
that  executive  abilitv,  self-control,  and  readv  command  of 


COLLEGE    GRADUATES.  319 

his  learning,  which  eminently  lit  him  for  the  profession 
upon  which  he  has  entered.  At  college,  in  scholarship, 
he  ranked  in  the  first  third  of  his  class.  The  commence- 
ment part  assigned  him  was  an  English  oration,  entitled 
"The  conflict  of  creeds  with  popular  education."  In  his 
record,  thus  far,  from  his  excellent  acquirements  and  his 
strict  conformity  to  every  filial  and  moral  duty,  his  friends 
may  reasonably  expect  that  pure  motives  and  dignified 
actions  "will  ever  keep  the  Ball  in  motion."  He  is,  at 
present  (1878),  the  principal  of  this  Lawrence  Academy, 
and  is  well  qualified  to  fill  the  chair,  once  occupied  by 
William  M.  Richardson,  Caleb  Butler,  Asa  F.  Lawrence, 
and  others,  who  ranked  high  among  educators.  On  the 
fourth  day  of  August,  1875,  ^^t?  married  Ella  F.  Sawin,  of 
Townsend. 

Wayland  Spaulding  was  born  September  26,  1850. 
Graduated  at  Williston  Seminary,  Easthampton,  in  1870, 
and  at  Yale  College,  in  1874.  ^^^s  rank  at  Yale,  in  a 
class  of  one  hundred  and  eighteen,  was  the  tenth,  leaving 
one  hundred  and  eight  students  who  were  not  his  peers. 
His  class  picture  indicates  a  large  amount  of  vital  force,  a 
clearness  of  perception,  a  skill  in  the  use  of  languages, 
and  a  thorough  mental  discipline,  all  of  which  are  indis- 
pensable to  a  good  public  speaker.  Before  he  had  seen 
his  twenty-fourth  birthday  he  was  appointed  principal  of 
the  high  school  at  Rockville,  Connecticut,  where  his 
brother  taught  just  after  his  graduation.  There  are  about 
six  hundred  scholars  in  this  school.  During  the  three 
years  which  have  passed  since  he  was  at  the  head  of  this 
institution,  he  has  given  entire  satisfaction  to  the  people  of 


o2()  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

the    enterprising    town    of    Rockville.      He    married.    De- 
cember 31.  1874,  Mary  A.  Peck. 

Six  of  the  seventeen  graduates  from  this  town,  came 
from  three  families  :  Two  brothers  from  each,  Joel  and 
John  Giles,  Warren  and  Charles  Brooks,  and  Randall  and 
Wayland  Spaulding. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


Pli OMIXEXT  IXDI ril>  UA  LS. 


Samuel  Stone— Ralph  Warren — James  N.  Tucker — James  Hosley 
—Walter  Hastings — John  Spaulding- — Levi  Wallace— Stillman 
Hayiies — The  Warrens. 

The  most  prominent  traders  in  Townsend,  whose 
names  have  not  previously  appeared  in  this  work,  are  the 
following :  Charles  Osgood,  and  William  P,  Taylor, 
both  of  whom  have  recently  retired  partially  from  business. 
at  the  central  village  ;  Edmund  A.  Shattuck,  at  West 
Townsend ;  and  Charles  Emery,  at  Townsend  Harbor. 
These  gentlemen  are  all  well  known  to  the  present 
generation.  Most  of  them  have  done  a  successful  business 
in  this  town  for  the  last  quarter  of  a  century. 

From  1830,  and  onward  for  about  live  years,  Giles  & 
Jewett  (Daniel  Giles  and  Solomon  Jewett,)  were  copart- 
ners in  trade  at  the  brick  store  in  Townsend  Centre.  Mr. 
Jewett  died  in  the  prime  of  lite.  He  was  an  enterprising, 
go-ahead  man.  On  the  death  of  Mr.  Jew^ett,  Mr.  Giles 
received  Samuel  Adams  as  a  partner,  who  remained  onlv 
a  short  time  in  trade  with  him.  When  Mr.  Samuel 
Adams  retired,  Daniel  Adams  associated  himself  with  Mr. 
Giles,  in  business,  under  the  name  and  style  of  Giles  & 
Adams.     About  1847.  Mr.   Giles   disposed   of  his   interest 


:]22  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

in  the  business,  to  Mr.  Adams,  and  he  continued  the 
business  alone,  till  about  1849,  when  William  P.  Taylor 
I'oined  him  in  partnership. 

Samuel  Stone  was  one  of  the  most  successful  traders 
in  Townsend,  known  to  the  writer.  He  was  the  son  of 
Lieut.  Samuel  Stone,  born  August  17,  1779.  After  ac- 
quiring all  the  education  afforded  by  the  common  school, 
he  went  into  a  store  in  Charlestown,  as  a  clerk,  remaining 
there  long  enough  to  learn  the  routine  of  business,  and 
forming  a  mercantile  acquaintance  so  that  he  had  acquired 
a  sum  of  money,  which,  added  to  his  credit,  he  considered 
sufficient  to  commence  business  for  himself.  He  returned 
to  Townsend  and  opened  a  store  in  a  small  wooden  build- 
ing, which  stood  on  the  corner  at  the  south  side  of  the 
common,  near  where  the  post-office  now  is.  His  business 
increased,  and  he  went  on  accumulating  property.  On 
the  twenty-first  day  of  March,  1809,  he  married  Lucy 
Wheeler,  of  Mason,  New  Hampshire.  Finding  the  build- 
ing, in  which  he  commenced  business,  too  small,  he 
bought  the  real  estate  where  it  stood,  and  erected  the 
present  brick  store  at  that  location.  The  ample  and  taste- 
ful brick  dwelling-house,  now  standing  on  the  opposite 
corner,  was  also  built  by  Mr.  Stone,  for  his  own  home. 
He  was  extensively  known  and  patronized  in  his  business, 
so  that,  considering  the  time  in  which  he  lived,  he  acquired 
a  large  property.  He  became  a  member  of  the  orthodox 
church  about  1816,  and  contributed  liberally  to  the  support 
of  that  institution,  besides  subscribing  live  hundred  dollars 
towards  the  erection  of  the  brick  church  edifice.  Being 
considerably  corpulent,  trom  extra  exertion  in  assisting 
his  workmen  in  the  hav-tield,  he   became   so  surfeited  and 


PROMINENT    INDIVIDUALS.  323 

heated  that  he  died,  rather  suddenh*,  on  the  twenty-ninth 
dav  of  August,  1830.  Having  no  children,  the  question 
with  him  was,  how  to  dispose  of  his  property,  when  he 
found  he  was  near  the  end  of  his  earthh"  pilgrimage. 
His  will,  drawn  by  Dea.  Joel  Adams,  one  of  his  particular 
friends,  was  so  peculiar,  that  a  short  notice  of  it  in  this 
place,  may  be  acceptable  to  the  reader. 

Before  the  Supreme  Judicial  Court,  in  a  friendl}'  w  ay, 
by  an  agreement  of  facts,  it  appeared,  that  Samuel  Stone, 
on  August  7,  1830,  being  seized  of  certain  demanded 
premises,  made  his  will,  which  was  duly  proved,  Sep- 
tember 28,  1830,  and  in  which,  after  devising  certain 
real  and  personal  property  to  his  wife,  he  made  the 
following  devise  : — 

"I  give  and  bequeath  all  the  residue  of  my  estate,  both 
real  and  personal,  of  whatever  name  or  nature  soever,  or 
wherever  said  property  may  be  found,  to  the  cause  of 
Christ,  for  the  benefit  and  promotion  of  true  evangelical 
piety  and  religion.  And  I  do  order  and  direct  my  execu- 
tor hereafter  named  and  appointed,  to  collect  all  the  above 
last  specified  property,  as  soon  as  can  be  done  consistently 
without  sacrificing  too  much  by  forcing  the  sale  thereof  in 
an  improper  manner,  not  however  to  exceed  the  term  of 
five  years,  and  pay  over  the  same  unto  Rev.  John  Todd, 
of  Groton,  Rev.  James  C.  How,  of  Pepperell,  Rev. 
Phillips  Payson,  of  Leominster,  and  Rev.  Rufus  Putnam, 
of  Fitchburg,  preserving  a  reasonable  sum  to  compensate 
him  for  his  trouble,)  placing  full  confidence  in  their  piety, 
judgment  and  integrity,  immediately  to  be  by  them  sa- 
credly appropriated  to  the  cause  of  religion  as  above 
stated,  to  be  distributed  in  such  divisions  and  to  such 
societies  and  religious  charitable  purposes,  as  they  may 
think  fit  and  proper." 


;}24  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

It  appeared  that  the  testator  appointed  Joel  Adams, 
his  executor ;  that  Mr.  Adams,  having  accepted  the  trust, 
entered  upon  the  demanded  premises,  and  on  November 
17,  1831,  conveyed  them  to  the  demandant:  and  that  the 
tenant  claimed,  as  one  of  the  five  heirs-at-law  of  the 
testator. 

It  further  appeared  that  the  property  of  the  testator 
amounted  to  about  the  sum  of  $21,000;  that  the  personal 
estate,  exclusive  of  that  bequeathed  to  his  wife,  amounted 
to  $10,000 ;  and  that  the  real  estate,  which  would  pass  by 
the  residuary  clause,  was  of  the  value  of  between  $4,000 
and  $5,000. 

John  P.  Robinson  appeared  and  argued  the  case  for 
the  tenant  (John  Emery),  and  George  F.  Farley  for  the 
demandant  (Eliab  Going).  The  vagueness  and  uncer- 
tainty, in  regard  to  the  manner  in  which  the  donation  was 
to  be  disposed  of,  was  urged  by  the  counsel  opposed  to  the 
will.  He  argued  that,  'TIpon  the  death  of  the  testator, 
the  real  estate  descended  to  the  heirs ;  for  it  is  not  given  to 
the  executor,  nor  to  Messrs.  Todd  and  others,  either  for 
their  own  use,  or  in  trust,  but  'to  the  cause  of  Christ.'" 
And  again,  "The  absence  of  a  court  of  chancery  in  this 
Commonwealth,  to  compel  the  execution  of  trusts  for  such 
vague  and  indefinite  purposes,  is  a  reason  why  such 
donations  as  have  been  held  valid  by  the  court  of  chancery 
in  England,  should  not  be  held  valid  here." 

Chief  Justice  Shaw  delivered  the  opinion  of  the  court, 
of  which  the  following  is  the  closing  part : — 

"In  all  tlie  cases  of  charitable  uses,  or  nearly  all,  the 
persons  ultimately  to  be  benefitted  by  the  donation  are  mi- 
certain.  The  heathen  of  foreign  lands,  in  case  of  Bartlett 
z'5.  King,  were  the  ultimate  objects  of  the  donor's  bounty; 


PROMINENT    INDIVIDUALS.  325 

but  of  what  foreign  country,  when,  how,  and  to  what 
amount,  with  all  the  particular  details,  were  left  uncertain, 
in  all  other  respects  than  this,  that  the  testator  reposed  con- 
fidence in  the  trustees,  a  confidence  earned  by  their  known 
character  for  fidelity  and  judgment,  that  they  would  ap- 
propriate the  money  in  such  manner  as  to  accomplish  his 
intention.  This  was  held  sufficient  to  obviate  the  objec- 
tion of  vagueness  and  uncertaintv- 

"We  are  of  opinion  that  the  present  case  falls  within 
the  same  principle  :  the  donees  are  particularly  designated, 
the  trust  is  clear,  the  general  objects  sufficiently  indicated 
to  bind  the  consciences  of  the  trustees,  and  to  render  them 
liable  in  equity  to  account  for  the  execution  of  this  trust, 
by  a  suit  to  be  instituted  in  the  name  of  the  attorney- 
general,  representing  the  public  ;  and  that  these  objects  are 
sufficiently  certain  and  definite  to  be  carried  into  effect, 
according  to  the  established  principles  of  law  and 
equity,    governing   donations   to   charitable  uses. 

Tenant  defaulted.'" 


The  property  of  this  testator  was  disbursed,  in  part, 
by  these  four  ministers,  as  follows :  To  different  mis- 
sionary objects,  $5,000;  Gilmanton  Academy,  $i,ooo; 
Marietta  College,  $i.ooo;  Wabash  College,  $i,ioo;  East 
Windsor  Theological  Seminary,  $2,000;  Amherst  Col- 
lege, $1,000.  There  were  several  other  gifts,  in  small 
sums,  to  different  churches  and  societies.  No  further 
record  or  account  of  the  manner  in  which  the  balance  of 
the  property  was  expended  is  to  be  found.  The  executor 
put  the  money  derived  from  the  sale  of  the  property  into 
the  hands  of  these  men.  No  executor's  account  is  to  be 
found  at  the  Probate  Office,  and  the  information  in  regard 
to  the   manner  in   which   the    property  was    distributed   is 


o2()  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

derived  from  Miss  Caroline  Wright,  the  adopted  daughter 
of  the  testator.  Miss  Wright  is  a  lady  of  excellent  mind 
and  good  memory. 

Ralph  Warren,  son  of  Aaron  Warren,  Esq.,  was 
born  in  1800,  at  West  Tovvnsend,  in  a  cottage  house 
which  stood  where  the  present  family  residence  is  located. 
Being  an  only  son,  his  boyhood  was  guided  by  a  kind  and 
generous  father,  yet  a  strict  disciplinarian,  and  a  good 
mother,  with  puritanical  religious  principles.  He  acquired 
his  education  at  the  common  school,  together  with  the 
advantage  of  a  limited  attendance  at  Lawrence  Academv. 
Leaving  school  he  took  the  position  of  clerk  in  his  father's 
store,  discharging  its  duties  with  so  much  care  and  ability, 
that  the  details  of  the  business  were  left  principally  to  his 
supervision,  while  his  father  was  away  on  business  or  at 
the  consecutive  sessions  of  the  General  Court.  In  May. 
1823,  he  married  Betsey  Sherwin,  an  amiable  woman, 
who  will  lony;   be    remembered    with  tender  recfard   bv    all 


egc 


who  knew  her.  About  that  time  he  moved  to  Boston,  and 
went  into  business,  where  he  remained  about  two  years, 
when  he  returned  to  West  Townsend,  and  associated 
himself  in  business  with  his  lather,  in  the  firm  of  Aaron 
Warren  &  Son.  This  firm  continued  several  vears  in 
business.  On  the  retirement  of  his  father,  he  formed  a 
copartnership  with  Daniel  Bolls,  his  brother-in-law,  but 
this  firm  was  soon  dissolved  ;  and  he  continued  the  busi- 
ness without  any  partner  for  se\'eral  vears. 

About  the  time  he  was  most  successful  in  trade,  the 
traffic  in  spirituous  liquors  was  the  most  profitable  part  of 
the  business  of  a  country  store-keeper.  The  sale  of 
liquors  was    as    common    then    as    the    sale    of  tlour  at  the 


UyV 


6^f*-t^Cx^ 


PROMINENT    INDIVIDUALS.  327 

present  time.  When  the  Washingtonian  temperance 
movement  appeared  he  abandoned  the  sale  of  ardent 
spirits,  and  solicited  other  traders  to  follow  his  example, 
braving  the  obloquy  of  public  opinion.  He  interested 
himself  in  the  improvements  going  forward  in  his  native 
village,  was  one  of  the  patrons  of  the  building  of  the 
Baptist  meeting-house,  and  Female  Seminary,  was  a 
trustee  and  treasurer  of  the  seminary  tor  a  number  of 
years.  He  solicited  subscriptions  to  the  stock  of  the 
Peterborough  &  Shirley  Railroad  ;  and  was  deeply  inter- 
ested in  the  success  of  that  enterprise.  About  thirty  years 
previous  to  his  death,  he  gave  up  business  in  Townsend 
and  went  into  trade  in  Boston,  keeping  his  residence  in 
Townsend  ;  and  for  twenty  years  his  dail}^  presence  on  the 
morning  and  evening  trains  of  cars  was  remarked.  He 
was  a  man  "diligent  in  business,"  kind-hearted,  temper- 
ate, and  generous,  besides  being  strongly  attached  to  his 
family,  in  the  presence  of  which,  he  passed  his  happiest 
hours.  He  gave  liberally  towards  the  support  of  the 
baptist  denomination  and  was  a  constant  attendant  on  its 
services  ;  and,  although  he  never  united  with  the  church, 
his  current  conversation  and  blameless  life  comported  with 
the  teachings  of  the  Great  Master.  He  died  in  1873, 
leaving  one  daughter  and  four  sons. 

James  N.  Tucker,  Esc^,  was  born  in  Brookline. 
New  Hampshire,  May  20,  1811.  Although  his  advan- 
tages for  learning  were  limited  to  the  common  school,  he 
acquired  a  very  good  education.  His  mother,  noticing 
his  fancy  for  trading  while  he  was  a  boy,  predicted  that 
he  would  sometime  be  a  rich  man.  All  his  thoughts  and 
tastes  in  boyhood  looked  tbrward  to  a  mercantile  life.      He 


o28  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

married  Rosella  Jewett,  on  the  twenty -fifth  day  of  Decem- 
ber, 1835.  I"  the  fall  of  1836,  he  opened  a  store  at  West 
Townsend,  and  continued  there,  in  trade,  about  three 
years.  At  that  time,  his  cash  capital  was  rather  limited, 
but  his  credit  was  good,  and  he  withstood  the  financial 
crash  of  1837  and  1838.  During  the  time  he  was  at  West 
Townsend,  he  did  a  profitable  business.  In  1839,  ^e 
moved  to  Brookline,  New  Hampshire,  his  native  town, 
where  he  built  a  very  convenient  store,  and  commenced 
the  coopering  business,  employing  from  forty  to  fifty  men, 
and  paying  them,  as  much  as  he  could,  in  goods  from  his 
store.  This  was  also  a  success  to  him.  He  was  in  trade 
at  Brookline,  about  four  years,  when  he  sold  out  his  busi- 
ness and  moved  to  East  Pepperell,  where  he  was  in  trade 
only  a  short  dme,  when  he  returned  to  Brookline,  New 
Hampshire,  and  retired  from  business.  He  moved  to 
West  Townsend,  in  1853,  and  has  remained  here  since  that 
time,  except  a  temporary  residence  in  Boston,  during 
1876  and  1877.  While  at  Brookline,  he  was  postmaster 
under  two  different  administrations,  and  he  represented 
that  town  in  the  New  Hampshire  Legislature,  during  the 
years  1851  and  1852.  He  has  invariably  acted  with  the 
republican  party. 

In  1854,  ^^1^6"  die  Townsend  Bank  went  into  opera- 
tion, he  was  chosen  one  of  the  directors,  which  office  he 
has  held  ever  since.  He  was  a  notary  public  several 
>'ears,  and  one  of  the  selectmen  and  assessors  of  Town- 
send,  in  1864.  For  more  than  twenty-five  years,  he  did 
nearl}-  all  the  conveyancing  and  business  required  of  a 
justice  of  the  peace,  at  West  Townsend.  In  1864,  in 
company  with  Walter  Fessenden,  he  went  to  Europe,  and 
\isited    IJK'   most   important   cities    of  England,    Holland. 


'■/¥ 


-..'^ 


^  ^^^t^^e^/fjA^^ 


PROMINENT    INDIVIDUALS.  329 

Germany,  Switzerland,  France,  and  Scotland.  On  the 
twenty-fourth  of  June,  1875,  he  married,  for  a  second  wife, 
Mrs.  Martha  A.  Coburn. 

James  Hosley.  The  most  prominent  and  influential 
among  "the  old  heads"  during  the  revolutionary  war,  and 
the  best  balanced  man,  in  all  respects,  was  James  Hosley, 
who  was  born  in  this  town,  in  1734.  The  antecedents  of 
his  father  are  unknown  to  the  writer,  but  the  fact  that  he 
had  a  large  family,  and  that  all  of  its  members  were  quite 
respectable,  goes  to  show  that  he  paid  special  attention  to 
their  moral  and  intellectual  as  well  as  their  religious  train- 
ing. His  father's  name  was  James  Hoslev.  There  is 
nothing  in  the  town  records  about  schools,  till  young 
Hosley  was  more  than  twelve  years  old,  so  that  probablv 
he  was  thoroughly  taught  at  his  home  fireside,  by  his 
parents,  in  orthography,  reading,  writing  and  arithmetic, 
to  reverence  the  Deity,  and  to  honor  the  king. 

On  his  arrival  at  manhood,  he  held  all  the  offices  in 
the  gift  of  his  fellow-citizens,  although  he  was  never  a 
demagogue  or  office  seeker.  The  church  recognized  his 
amiable  and  worth}-  character,  by  electing  him  deacon. 
In  1766,  he  was  first  chosen  to  serve  on  the  board  of 
selectmen,  consisting  of  five  members,  all  capable  and 
enterprising  men.  From  1770  to  1781,  he  was  either 
moderator,  town  clerk,  one  of  the  selectmen,  or  on  a  war 
committee,  every  year.  In  1775,  he  was  moderator  at  the 
annual  town  meeting,  town  clerk,  chairman  of  the  select- 
men, and  captain  of  the  alarm  list  or  minute-men.  In 
1776,  when  Brigadier-General  Oliver  Prescott  reorganized 
the    Middlesex   countv   militia,    the  officers   for   this  town 


H80  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

were :    James    Hosley,    captain :     Peter    Butterficld,    tirst 
lieutenant;    Benjamin  Ball,  second  lieutenant. 

In  September,  1777,  the  General  Court  passed  a  resolve 
calling  for  volunteers  to  go  to  the  assistance  of  General 
Gates,  who  was  confronting  Burgoyne,  at  Saratoga.  This 
call  received  an  enthusiastic  response  from  the  men  of  old 
Middlesex  county.  Seventy  men,  forming  one  company, 
belonging  to  Pepperell,  Townsend  and  Ashby,  were  soon 
in  readiness  to  march.  On  assembling  for  the  choice  of 
officers,  James  Hosley  was  unanimously  chosen  captain. 
By  reference  to  the  revolutionary  rolls,  copied  in  this 
work,  it  well  be  seen  that  Col.  William  Prescott,  and 
other  military  men  of  ability  and  notoriety,  were  in 
Captain  Hosley's  company.  The  estimation  in  which  he 
was  held  as  a  military  man,  can  be  better  understood  from 
this  position,  tendered  to  him  so  unexpectedly,  than  in  any 
other  way.  Prescott  and  Wood,  or  Major  Stone,  would 
never  have  been  subordinate  to  any  man  unless  he  honored 
the  office  to  which  he  had  been  elevated. 

He  was  chosen  representative  to  the  General  Court, 
in  1787,  but  he  declined  the  office,  and  Daniel  Adams  was 
chosen  to  fill  that  position.  He  was  a  modest  man,  never 
dictatorial,  courteous  and  obliging  in  his  intercourse  with 
his  townsmen  and  neighbors.  There  is  no  record  of  his 
death  to  be  found,  either  in  any  well-read  old  family  bible 
or  on  any  tombstone.  Time  has  swept  into  the  abyss  of 
tbrgetfulness,  those  manly  forms  and  brave  hearts,  \vhich 
dared  to  stand  up  against  great  odds  and  assert  their 
freedom,  but  let  the  sons  of  Townsend,  in  all  coming  time, 
with  fervent  gratitude,  remember  James  Hosley  and  his 
compatriots. 


^^^^^fer'tx^^^^^ 


^ 


— H 


PROMINENT    INDIVIDUALS.  331 

Walter  Hastings,  son  of  Col.  Walter  Hastings, 
was  born  at  Townsend  Harbor,  December  9,  1814.  He 
was  only  six  years  old  at  the  time  of  his  father's  death. 
He  was  so  promising  a  lad,  that  he  was  fitted  for  college 
by  a  private  tutor ;  but  he  decided  not  to  enter  college, 
preferring  a  life  devoted  to  mercantile  pursuits. 

Through  the  influence  of  Hon.  Amos  Lawrence,  he 
obtained  a  situation  in  the  long-established  house  of  Whit- 
ney &  Haskell,  where  he  remained  till,  or  about  the  time 
he  arrived  at  majority,  enjoying  the  confidence  of  the  firm 
and  its  numerous  patrons. 

Upon  starting  for  himself,  he  was  a  partner  in  the 
firm  of  Spaulding,  Rice  &  Hastings,  in  the  dry  goods 
business.  In  buying  the  goods  for  this  house,  he  acquired 
an  extensive  acquaintance,  which  was  much  to  his  pecu- 
niary advantage.  He  has  held  many  positions  of  trust, 
which  only  a  clear-headed,  honest  man,  could  fill. 

He  was  treasurer  of  the  Suffolk  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany, the  Tremont  Mills,  and  the  Merrimack  Woollen 
Mills,  each  at  Lowell — of  all,  at  the  same  time.  These 
corporations  employed  between  three  and  four  thousand 
operatives,  the  monthl}^  pay-roll  of  which  amounted  to 
about  one  hundred  and  twenty  thousand  dollars.  For  a 
number  of  years,  he  was  treasurer  of  the  York  Manufac- 
turing Company,  Saco,  Maine.  Mr.  Hastings  has  been  a 
director  in  the  Eliot  Bank,  from  its  formation,  185 1,  to  the 
present  time  ;  and  is  also  one  of  the  directors  in  quite  a 
number  of  manufacturing,  fire  and  marine  insurance  com- 
panies. He  is  punctual  to  an  appointment,  and  attends  to 
all  these  interests  with  fidelit}'.  By  judicious  investments, 
he  has  accumulated  a  large  fortune,  and  he  now  ranks 
among  the  princely  merchants  of  Boston,  where  he  re- 
sides. 


332  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

The  career  of  this  gentleman  exemplifies  to  our 
youth,  the  importance  of  an  early  and  decided  choice  of 
a  pursuit,  in  which  to  engage,  when  the  dawn  of  man- 
hood shall  sound  the  reveille  for  the  battle  with  the  world. 

Hon.  John  Spaulding,  son  of  Dea.  John  Spaulding, 
was  born  on  Nissequassick  Hill,  in  1817.  For  three  years 
he  was  in  attendance  at  Phillips  Academy,  Andover, 
where  he  fitted  for  college.  In  1842,  he  entered  Yale 
College,  with  the  freshman  class,  and  remained  at  that 
institution  until  sometime  during  the  senior  year,  when  on 
account  of  ill  health  he  left  college.  Not  regaining  his 
health  sufficiently  to  return  and  graduate  with  his  class, 
his  Alf/m  Afaler,  without  being  solicited  by  any  one,  some- 
time afterward  conferred  upon  him  the  degree  of  A.  M., 
with  all  the  rights  and  privileges  of  an  Alumnus.  Like 
many  other  country  boys,  he  had  to  depend  largely  upon 
his  own  exertions,  to  support  himself  and  gain  a  liberal 
education.  Before  the  present  days  of  numerous  college 
scholarships,  very  materially  aiding  the  impecunious 
student  to  fight  the  financial  wolf  from  his  door,  young 
men  of  small  means  were  obliged  to  work  through  the 
vacations,  teaching  school,  and  in  other  pursuits,  to  find 
the  means  to  pay  college  fees  and  the  other  expenses  of 
obtaining  an  education. 

Mr.  Spaulding  entered  the  Law  School,  at  Harvard 
Universit}',  and  pursued  the  course  of  study  in  that  school, 
taking  the  degree  of  LL.  B.,  in  1850.  Subsequently  he 
pursued  his  studies  in  the  office  of  George  F.  Farley, 
a  prominent  lawyer  at  Groton  Centre.  In  1851,  he  was 
admitted  to  the  bar.  and  opened  an  office  at  Groton  Centre, 
wiiere  he  remained  in  practice  only  a  short  time,  choosing 


^- 


''J^J^^  J.tCoCLCcCc^\ 


^ 


PROMINENT    INDIVIDUALS.  33.S 

Groton  Junction  for  a  permanent  place  of  business,  where 
he  has  since  had  his  office  and  residence,  having  also  an 
office  in  Boston. 

In  1872,  he  was  appointed  second  special  justice  of 
the  First  District  Court  of  Northern  Middlesex,  and  since 
his  induction  into  that  office,  he  has  held  a  seat  on  the 
bench  in  this  court. 

Judge  Spaulding  is  neither  a  prominent  politician,  or 
an  office  seeker,  his  judgeship  being  tendered  to  him 
without  his  solicitation,  either  directly  or  indirectly.  In 
exercising  his  right  as  a  citizen  he  is  identified  with  the 
republican  party,  while  his  religious  associations,  like 
most  of  the  numerous  Spaulding  family,  are  with  the 
orthodox  congregationalists.  As  a  lawyer,  he  is  courteous 
to  opposing  counsel,  and  witnesses  of  the  party  opposed 
to  him  invariably  leave  the  stand  without  feeling  insulted. 
He  has  made  the  legal  profession  a  pecuniarv  success, 
which,  considering  the  large  number  of  learned  and 
eminent  members  of  the  Middlesex  bar,  with  whom  he 
has  had  to  compete,  could  never  have  been  done  without 
good  discipline  and  a  large  amount  of  brain  power.  In 
1862,  he  married  Charlotte  A.,  daughter  of  Alpheus 
Bigelow,  Esq.,  of  Weston.     They  have  no  children. 

Hon.  Levi  Wallace  was  born,  at  or  near  the  south- 
east corner  of  what  was  "Hathorn's  farm,"  in  Townsend, 
in  1833.  While  at  the  district  school  he  was  noted  as  a 
good  scholar.  For  nearly  three  years  he  attended  the 
Normal  School,  at  Reeds  Ferr},  a  village  in  the  town  of 
Merrimack,  New  Hampshire.  Professor  William  Russell 
was  then  at  the  head  of  this  institution.  He  passed  the 
years  1857  and  1858  at  Appleton  Academy,  New  Ipswich, 

4.S 


334  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

New  Hampshire,  during  which  time  he  fitted  for  college. 
He  was  a  teacher  in  the  Normal  School,  at  Reeds  Ferry, 
for  about  a  year.  In  1859,  ^^^  commenced  reading  law,  in 
the  office  of  Hon.  John  Spaulding,  at  Ayer,  and  continued 
in  that  study  till  1862,  when  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar, 
and  commenced  the  practice  of  law,  at  Pepperell.  In 
1868,  he  was  a  member  of  the  house  of  representatives  in 
the  Massachusetts  Legislature,  for  the  towns  of  Groton 
and  Pepperell.  In  1872,  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the 
Massachusetts  Senate,  for  the  Fifth  Middlesex  District ; 
and  was  re-elected  to  the  same  office  in  1873.  On  the 
fifteenth  day  of  August,  1873,  he  was  appointed  special 
justice  of  the  First  District  Court  of  Northern  Middlesex, 
and  in  February,  1874,  ^^^  '^'^'^^  appointed  standing  justice 
of  the  same  court. 

The  mother  of  Judge  Wallace  was  a  Spaulding. 
There  have  been  frequent  instances  of  intermarriage 
between  these  families  in  Townsend.  He  resides  at  Ayer, 
the  location  of  the  First  District  Court  of  Northern  Mid- 
dlesex. As  a  counsellor,  he  is  deliberate  and  circumspect : 
as  a  justice,  he  is  decided  and  sell-reliant;  as  a  man,  he 
is  of  fine  personal  appearance  and  good  address.  In 
1863,  he  married  Hannah  F.  Blaney. 

Stillman  Haynes,  Esq^,  the  son  of  Samuel  and 
Eliza  (Spaulding)  Haynes,  was  born  on  Nissequassick 
Hill,  April  17,  1833.  After  receiving  the  usual  training 
of  the  common  and  select  schools  of  his  native  town,  he 
was  in  attendance  at  Leicester  Academy,  and  the  Normal 
School,  at  Lancaster.  In  the  last  named  institution,  he 
was  so  fortunate  as  to  receive  rhetorical  and  elocutionar}" 
instruction  from  that  master  of    these    arts.    Prof.    William 


PROMINENT    INDIVIDUALS.  335 

Russell,  and  instruction  in  the  natural  sciences,  from 
Prof.  Sanborn  Tenney.  He  was  for  some  time,  at  New 
Ipswich  Academy,  an  associate  teacher,  and  student  with 
Elihu  T.  Quimby,  w^ho  is  at  present  Professor  of  mathe- 
matics and  civil  engineering,  at  Dartmouth  College.  He 
graduated  at  Kimball  Union  iVcademy,  Meriden,  New 
Hampshire,  in  1859.  I'^nking  well  both  in  character  and 
scholarship.  He  excelled  particularly  in  mathematics. 
During  the  years  of  preparatory  study,  he  was  successfully 
employed  in  teaching  advanced  village  schools,  at  several 
places.  As  the  income  derived  from  teaching  was  some- 
times inadequate  to  meet  the  expenses  of  his  education, 
he  resorted  to  manual  labor  to  obtain  funds  to  enable  him 
to  acquire  a  thorough  education  in  ancient  and  modern 
languages,  higher  mathematics,  engineering  and  litera- 
ture. In  1859,  ^^  entered  the  law  office  of  Bonney  & 
Marshall,  at  Lowell,  as  a  law  student,  and  was  admitted 
to  the  Middlesex  bar,  in  1861.  He  commenced  practice 
at  Ashburnham,  in  1862,  but  returned  to  Townsend,  in 
1863,  and  opened  a  law  office.  He  continued  the  practice 
of  law  in  Townsend,  till  1868,  when  he  removed  to  Fitch- 
burg,  and  continued  in  that  profession.  While  he  was 
at  Townsend,  he  was  a  member  of  the  board  of  selectmen 
and  served  several  years  on  the  school  committee.  Since 
his  removal  to  Fitchburg  he  has  devoted  himself  exclu- 
sively to  the  practice  of  law,  and  by  his  thorough  and 
patient  examination  of  matters  entrusted  to  him,  combined 
with  strict  tidelity  to  his  clients,  he  has  attained  a  good 
standing  and  an  honorable  rank  in  his  profession.  He 
also  enjoys  the  confidence  of  the  citizens  of  his  native 
town,  more  especially  in    matters   pertaining   to    wills   and 


;5o()  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

trusts,  and  he  is  held  by  them  in  high  estimation  lor  his 
integrity  and  legal  ability.  Mr,  Haynes  is  the  youngest, 
of  the  live  sons  of  Townsend,  who  have  chosen  law  for  a 
profession.  These  men  were  all  born  on  Nissequassick 
Hill,  and  in  the  same  neighborhood.  They  are  all  among 
the  living,  except  Mark  Davis,  and  the  three,  whose 
leatures  are  lithographed  and  appear  in  this  chapter, 
sustain  very  friendly  relations  to  each  other.  Mr.  Haynes 
married  Hattie  M.  Kimball,  of  Temple,  New  Hampshire, 
October  8,  1863. 

The  ancestors  of  the  Warrens,  of  Townsend,  came 
over  from  England,  in  early  colonial  times.  The  direct 
descent  of  this  family  is  traceable  to  Ephrairn  Warren 
(born  at  Chelmsford,  in  1731J,  who  came  to  this  town 
from  Chelmsford  about  1760.  His  lather's  name  was 
Ephraim,  and  he  was  a  brother  of  Thomas  Warren,  who 
was  a  captain  in  the  continental  army,  and  also  repre- 
sented Townsend  in  the  General  Court,  and  served  on  the 
board  of  selectmen  for  a  number  of  years.  The  Ephraim, 
who  settled  here,  married  Mary  Parker,  sister  of  Lieuten- 
ant-Colonel Moses  Parker,  of  the  "27th  Regiment  of  foot 
in  the  revolutionary  war,"  and  he  lived  on  the  Shirley 
road,  about  a  mile  southeast  from  the  Harbor.  He  is  rep- 
resented, by  tradition,  as  a  man  some  below  medium 
stature,  of  the  Zaccheus-Napoleon  type.  He  was  the 
man  who  left  his  plow  in  the  furrow,  and  started  immedi- 
atelv,  on  horseback,  when  the  alarm  was  given  to  the 
minute-men,  on  the  19th  of  April,  1775,  mentioned  in  an- 
other part  of  this  work.      He  died  in  181 2. 


(li.i.i^i^yv^  /5^e^/^«^4^^-^ 


PROMINENT    INDIVIDUALS.  337 

Moses  Warren,  the  oldest  son  of  this  patriot,  born 
in  1755,  was  one  of  the  most  influential  men,  during  his 
time,  in  this  town  or  vicinity.  He  was  an  enterprising 
business  man,  trading  in  neat  stock,  lumber  and  land.  He 
bought  the  place  where  the  hotel  now  stands,  at  West 
Townsend,  about  1793,  of  Israel  Hobart.  Only  the  west 
half  of  this  building  was  made  at  that  time,  the  east  half 
being  put  on  soon  after  the  commencement  of  the  present 
centur}'.  This  hotel,  in  Mr.  Warren's  time,  was  exten- 
sively patronized  by  travellers  and  market  men. 

In  1799,  when  the  third  New  Hampshire  turnpike, 
leading  from  Townsend  to  Walpole,  New  Hampshire, 
was  being  made,  with  much  foresight  and  shrewdness,  he 
purchased  a  large  tract  of  land  at  its  terminus  in  this 
town,  and  erected  the  hotel,  now. standing  on  the  west  side 
of  the  river,  at  the  centre  of  the  town,  intending  to  secure 
the  custom  of  travellers  at  one  or  the  other  of  the  taverns, 
which  he  kept  for  a  long  time.  He  was  a  popular  land- 
lord, extensively  known  and  respected.  His  tavern,  at 
the  Centre,  was  opened  just  before  the  ordination  of  Rev. 
Mr.  Palmer,  in  1800.  On  that  festive  occasion,  he  set 
tables  in  every  room  in  his  house,  to  which  free  access 
was  given  to  every  person  who  desired  to  enjoy  his  hospi- 
tality. In  another  part  of  this  book,  his  name  appears  as 
a  contractor  for  moving,  setting  up  and  finishing  the  old 
meeting-house,  on  the  common. 

He  married  (1776,)  Martha  Reed,  of  Townsend. 
The}'  had  five  sons  and  five  daughters.  Seven  of  these 
lived  to  the  age  of  more  than  three  score  years  and  ten. 
The  oldest  (Hannah,)  lived  to  the  age  of  eighty-two 
years,  and  the  youngest  (Martha,  married  Aaron  Keyes,) 
is  still  alive  at  the  age  of  nearly  eighty  years. 


338  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

Levi  Warren,  the  sixth  child  of  this  family,  the 
picture  of  whom  graces  this  volume,  was  born  in  1788. 
He  inherited  the  nervous,  active  enterprise  of  his  father, 
who  taught  him  that  self-reliance  which  guided  his  course 
through  life.  Like  his  father,  he  also  was  not  afraid  of 
work.  Before  he  was  twenty  years  of  age,  being  "master 
of  his  time,"  he  went  to  Boston,  and  b}^  his  industry  and 
prudence,  in  a  short  time,  he  earned  and  saved  money 
enough,  so  that  he  owned  teams,  and  hired  men  himself; 
he  prosecuted  the  teaming  business,  for  a  time,  in  a  prof- 
itable manner. 

In  1813,  during  the  war  with  England,  while  British 
cruisers  were  hovering  on  our  coast  read}-  to  prey  on  our 
commerce,  the  government  put  him  in  charge  of  his  own 
teams,  and  those  of  other  parties,  to  convey  boots  and 
shoes,  and  other  goods,  needed  in  the  south,  to  Charleston, 
South  Carolina,  and  to  return  loaded  with  cotton,  and 
other  products  of  that  section,  needed  in  New  England. 

Subsequently,  Mr.  Warren  was  the  proprietor  of  a 
wood  wharf,  in  Boston,  which  was  a  source  of  wealth  to 
him.  Soon  after  the  death  of  his  father  (1815),  he  bought 
different  tracts  of  land,  of  his  brothers,  and  from  other 
parties,  which,  added  to  what  he  owned  before,  and  what 
he  inherited  as  his  share  of  the  estate  of  his  father,  made 
him  the  owner  of  more  acres  than  most  any  man  in  town. 
A  large  part  of  the  land  in  and  around  West  Townsend 
was  owned  b\'  the  Warrens,  of  whom  Levi  was  the  largest 
proprietor. 

He  was  the  most  public  spirited  man,  of  his  time,  in 
Townsend.  When  the  baptists  decided  to  have  a  meeting- 
house, some  of  them  wanted  it  located   about  half-wa\-   on 


ChOAJ-L^      Uj  Qy^hr^^yK. 


PROMINENT    INDIVIDUALS.  331) 

the  road  from  the  west  village  to  the  Centre.  By  the 
advice  of  Levi  Warren  this  building  was  placed  where  it 
now  stands,  and,  as  has  been  heretofore  stated  he  gave  the 
land  for  the  site  of  this  edifice,  and  more  than  one-third  of 
the  money  expended  in  its  erection.  In  1818,  the  hotel  and 
two  or  three  small  dwellings,  besides  Mr.  Jonathan 
Richardson's  house,  constituted  most  of  the  dwelling- 
houses  in  what  is  now  the  postal  centre  of  West  Town- 
send.  This  village  is  largely  indebted  to  the  Warrens,  of 
two  or  three  generations,  and  particularly  to  Levi,  for  its 
present  cheerful  appearance.  Mr.  Warren  returned  from 
Boston,  and  made  West  Townsend  his  place  of  residence, 
in  1837.  The  baptist  church  and  the  young  ladies' 
seminary  received  his  special  attention,  to  the  support  of 
both  of  which  he  gave  his  money  without  stint  or  urging. 
In  addition  to  his  many  acts  of  beneficence,  it  must  be 
recorded  that,  in  1838,  he  gave  the  land  for  the  cemetery, 
at  West  Townsend,  for  which  the  town  returned  to  him 
a  unanimous  vote  of  thanks. 

In  other  parts  of  this  book,  his  name  appears  several 
times  as  a  town  officer,  a  military  man,  a  representative  to 
the  General  Court,  and  a  benefactor  to  the  institutions  at 
West  Townsend.  In  1848,  he  moved  to  Newton,  where 
he  resided  till  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1864,  when  his 
remains  were  accompanied  to  Townsend  for  interment : 
and  he  now  reposes  within  easy  distance  from  the  hum  of 
industrv,  and  the  joyous  ringing  of  the  church  bells  of  the 
\illage,  he  founded  and  loved  so  faithfully. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

MI8CELLAXE0 US  SUBJECTS. 

Town  Library  and  its  Origin— Fire  Department — Odd  Fellows— Town- 
send  National  Bank — The  Ladies'  Benevolent  Society  of  the 
Orthodox  Conjjregational  Chnrch— Townsend  Cornet  Band— 
Post-Otfices   and   Postmasters. 

In  1858,  a  book  agent  canvassed  this  town  for  the 
sale  of  a  set  of  books,  to  make  up  an  agricultural  library, 
obtaining  the  names  of  some  more  than  one  hundred 
subscribers,  who  paid  three  dollars  each,  and  became 
mutually  interested  in  the  enterprise.  A  farmers'  club  was 
talked  about  but  never  organized.  A  cominittee  was 
chosen  to  select  the  books  from  a  long  catalogue.  Most 
of  the  volumes  selected  were  well  worth}-  of  the  attention 
of  the  farmer,  but,  a  part  of  them,  like  Peter  Pindar's 
razors,  ''were  made  to  sell."  The  books  were  read  con- 
siderably, for  a  year  or  two,  when  it  began  to  be  discussed 
how  to  have  more  books  and  a  larger  library.  In  the 
winter  of  i860,  a  levee  was  given  at  the  town  hall,  ex- 
presslv  in  the  interest  of  the  library,  at  which  some  over 
a  hundred  dollars  were  made  after  paying  all  expenses. 
During  the  next  ten  years,  two  or  three  gatherings  of  this 
kind  were  held,  the  object  of  which  was  to  raise  monev 
with  which  to  buy  books    for   the    library.       Each    person. 


MISCELLANEOUS    SUBJECTS. 


341 


having  the  benefit  of  this  library,  was  taxed  fifty  cents  a 
year,  to  help  pay  for  a  place  to  keep  it  in  and  secure  the 
services  of  a  librarian.  The  number  of  readers  increased  ; 
and  at  two  or  three  times,  when  books  were  to  be  bought, 
a  good  degree  of  judgment  was  exercised  in  selecting 
standard  literature,  from  the  best  authors. 

In  1873,  the  shareholders  and  patrons  of  the  library 
had  an  article  inserted  in  the  town  warrant,  to  see  if  the 
town  would  take  it  oft'  their  hands,  and  make  it  a  free 
library.  The  town  voted  to  grant  annually  one  hundred 
dollars  for  the  support  of  the  library  ;  and  a  committee  has 
been  chosen,  each  year,  to  expend  the  money.  This 
money  has  all  been  expended  for  books,  the  running 
expenses  having  been  paid  the  same  as  before,  that  is,  by 
every  reader  paying  fifty  cents  per  annum.  The  influence 
of  this  institution  has  been  excellent,  in  creating  and 
fostering  a  taste  and  talent  for  reading  and  observation, 
and  in  giving  to  our  youth  pleasant  thoughts  and  profitable 
culture.  It  contains  at  present  more  than  one  thousand 
volumes  of  history,  poetry  and  belles-lettres. 

Soon  after  the  conflagration  of  the  steam  mill,  owned 
b}'  Walter  Fessenden  &  Son,  in  August,  1874,  ^  town 
meeting  w-as  called,  to  learn  the  opinion  of  the  voters  of 
the  town  in  regard  to  the  propriety  of  purchasing  engines 
and  appliances  to  extinguish  fires.  The  voters  turned  out 
en  masse  to  that  town  meeting,  and  after  deliberation 
chose  a  committee,  consisting  of  nine  gentlemen,  who 
resided  at  difterent  parts  of  the  town,  to  visit  some  of  the 
cities  and  towns  of  this  Commonwealth  in  order  to  ascer- 
tain what  was  needed,  and  to  report  at  an  adjourned 
meeting.     The    committee   attended   to   that  duty,  and   at 


342  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

the  adjournment  presented  two  reports  to  the  town.  The 
majority  were  in  tavor  of  purchasing  a  third  size  tirst 
class  Amoskeag  steam  fire  engine,  to  be  located  at  the 
centre  of  the  town,  a  hand  tire  engine  for  West  Town- 
send,  and  a  chemical  fire  engine,  called  the  Little  Giant, 
for  the  Harbor.  The  minority  reported  that  it  was  best 
for  the  town  to  purchase  a  hand  machine  for  the  Centre, 
two  chemical  engines  for  West  Townsend,  with  hook  and 
ladder  apparatus,  and  one  Little  Giant,  with  hook  and 
ladder  apparatus,  for  the  Harbor. 

After  a  long  and  exciting  discussion  the  town  adopted 
the  report  of  the  majority  of  the  committee.  At  that 
meeting  the  town  voted  to  authorize  this  committee  to 
purchase  lands  for  engine  houses,  and  to  locate  the  same, 
to  buy  the  engines,  hose,  nozzles,  hose  carriages,  and 
every  thing  necessary  for  a  regular  fire  department.  This 
committee  consisted  of  Alfred  M.  Adams,  Anson  D. 
Fessenden,  E.  S.  Wilder,  Jonas  Spaulding,  Jr.,  Alexander 
Craig,  John  E.  Dickerman,  S.  W.  Upton,  William  P. 
Taylor,  and  John  M.  Campbell.  During  the  summer  and 
autumn  of  1875,  the  engines,  and  all  the  appliances 
necessary,  were  bought,  and  the  engine  houses  were 
built.  Tiie  committee  introduced  first  class  engines,  and 
built  first  class  engine  houses,  it  is  presumed,  on  the 
principle  that  if  an3'thing  is  worth  doing,  it  is  worth  doing 
well.  A  company  was  soon  raised,  at  the  Centre,  to  man 
the  steamer  and  hose  carriage,  and  a  company  was 
organized  at  West  Townsend,  for  the  hand  engine. 

On  the  first  of  January,  1876,  a 'fire  department  was 
tbrmally  organized,  by  the  choice  of  the  following  officers  : 
Edwin  A.  Spaulding,  tbreman  of  Steam  Fire  Engine 
Company,  at  Townsend  Centre.  Augustus  Wilson,  fore- 
man   of  Eclipse   Engine   Company,    at  West  Townsend. 


MISCELLANEOUS  SUBJECTS.  343 

Albert  L.  Fessenden,  chief  engineer,  A.  D.  Fessenden, 
first  assistant  engineer,  A.  M.  Adams,  second  assistant  en- 
gineer, Wm.  P.  Taylor,  third  assistant  engineer,  at  Town- 
send  Centre ;  Lewis  Sanders,  first  assistant  engineer, 
Samuel  G.  Wilson,  second  assistant  engineer,  Miletus 
Gleason,  third  assistant  engineer,  at  West  Townsend ; 
Jonas  Spaulding,  Jr.,  first  assistant  engineer,  Noah  Wal- 
lace, second  assistant  engineer,  at  Townsend  Harbor. 

Fortunately  for  the  town,  there  has  been  no  large  fire 
since  the  inauguration  of  this  department,  whereby  either 
the  efficiency  of  these  machines,  or  the  skill  of  the  fire- 
men, has  been  particularly  tested.  It  may  be  a  question 
whether  a  town  of  some  over  tw^o  thousand  inhabitants, 
scattered  over  so  large  a  territory,  exercised  good  judg- 
ment in  establishing  a  department  of  this  kind,  so  expen- 
sive, inasmuch  as  the  centre  of  the  town,  containing  the 
best  dwellings  and  the  most  expensive  factories  of  any  in 
town,  are  well  protected  b}-  a  force  pump  in  the  steam 
mill,  and  a  force  pump  in  the  mill  of  A.  M.  Adams,  either 
of  which  are  powerful  enough  to  throw  water  through  a 
long  stretch  of  hose  and  do  good  execution.  The  engines, 
houses,  hose,  and  every  thing  connected  with  the  fire 
department,  cost  the  town,  when  it  was  established,  about 
seventeen  thousand  dollars. 

In  December,  1866,  M.  W.  Edmund  D.  Bancroft, 
grand  master  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows, 
of  Massachusetts,  and  the  officers  of  the  grand  lodge  of 
this  order,  and  J.  L.  Spring,  M.  W.  grand  master  of  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  of  New  Hampshire, 
together  with  delegates  from  Fredonia  Lodge,  Shirley, 
Harvard   Lodge,    Harvard,    and    Custos    Morum    Lodge, 


844  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

Miltbrd,  New  Hampshire,  assembled  at  the  hall  above 
the  auditorium,  in  the  Universalist  church  building,  at 
West  Townsend,  and  instituted  a  Lodge  of  Odd  FellovVs, 
and  gave  it  the  name  of  "North  Star  Lodge,  No.  144." 
At  this  meeting,  the  following  officers  were  chosen  and 
duly  installed  :  David  Cram,  N.  G.  ;  Albert  Howe,  V.  G.  ; 
J.  F.  Stevens,  secretary.  The  regular  meetings  of  this 
fraternity  were  held  at  West  Townsend  until  1870,  when 
a  spacious  and  elegant  hall  was  fitted  up  for  its  accommo- 
dation at  the  centre  of  the  town.  Apparently  this  insti- 
tution is  doing  a  good  work  in  the  cause  of  morality, 
sociability,  and  charity.  At  present  this  lodge  has  one 
hundred  and  nine  members,  a  part  of  whom  reside  in  the 
adjoining  towns.  In  February,  1877,  Albert  L.  Fessenden, 
a  member  of  this  lodge,  was  elected  grand  warden,  and 
in  August,  1877,  he  was  elected  deput}"  grand  master  of 
the  R.  W.  G.  L.  of  Massachusetts,  L  O.  O.  F. 

Albert  L.  Fessenden,  the  junior  partner  of  the 
firm  of  Walter  Fessenden  &  Son,  was  born  on  West  Hill, 
in  1839.  ^^^  heritage  in  his  personal  appearance  and 
temperament  is  trom  the  side  of  his  mother,  whose  name 
was  Harriet  E.  Lewis,  coming  from  a  family  noted  for 
good  health  and  a  large  amount  of  vitality.  At  a  proper 
age  he  went  to  the  academ}-  at  Wilbraham,  where  he 
remained  about  three  years,  ranking  well  in  his  studies, 
particularly  so  in  mathematics.  To  him  they  were  happy 
days,  those  that  he  passed  at  Wilbraham  Academy. 
Wiien  he  was  about  nineteen  years  of  age,  and  nearly 
fitted  for  college,  he  left  the  academy  and  decided  to  put 
in  his  lot  with  his  father,  in  the  manufacturing  business. 
His  first  service   rendered,  consisted  of  a  journey  to  Nova 


v^if' 


J^jAj~J?^,Z^lMt^c/i^ 


MISCELLANEOUS    SUBJECTS.  345 

Scotia  and  Newfoundland,  as  a  drummer,  to  sell  goods, 
with  the  promise  that  the  proceeds  of  the  sale  of  all  the 
shocks  which  he  sold  over  a  certain  number  should  be 
placed  to  his  credit  as  a  partner.  He  appeared  at  the 
objective  points  at  just  the  right  time,  and  the  amount  of 
his  sales  largely  exceeded  the  expectation  of  either  him- 
self or  his  father. 

The  manufacture  of  shooks,  during  the  first  decade 
of  the  partnership  of  this  firm,  was  an  exceedingly  bulky, 
as  well  as  profitable  trade.  That  a  person  outside  of  a 
coopering  town  may  have  some  idea  of  what  "shooks" 
are,  it  ma}^  be  proper  to  put  in  a  short  description.  The 
staves  of  a  barrel,  knocked  down,  and  tied  up  in  a  bundle, 
after  the  cask  is  set  up,  levelled,  howelled  and  worked  off, 
would  be  a  shook.  Those  made  at  that  time  were  of  hard 
wood,  either  maple,  birch,  or  oak,  with  staves  about 
twenty-one  inches  long,  and  heads,  perhaps  eighteen 
inches  in  diameter,  and  when  set  up  and  hooped,  were 
"quarter  fish  drums."  The  heads  to  be  used  in  these 
casks  were  fitted  by  a  machine,  and  packed  in  drums  to 
accompany  the  shooks,  which,  on  arriving  at  their  desti- 
nation were  set  up,  hooped  with  iron,  and  filled  with  dry 
fish  ready  for  market.  We  nearl}'  lost  sight  of  the  man 
in  describing  the  shook.  He  conducts  the  correspondence 
and  attends  to  the  operatives,  for  the  most  part,  while  his 
father  has  generally  been  the  travelling  salesman.  Since 
the  erection  of  the  steam  mill,  he  has  given  his  personal 
attention  to  the  preparation  of  the  stock,  and  the  running 
of  the  engine  and  machinery.  As  a  man,  he  is  deliberate 
and  circumspect,  never  excited  under  reverses,  or  jubi- 
lant   over    success.      He   is   a   good  presiding  officer  at  a 


34()  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

public  meeting,  or  can  express  his  views  before  an 
audience  in  an  acceptable  manner.  He  is  a  prominent 
member  of  the  masonic  fraternity,  and  popular  in  that 
order,  having  passed  the  chairs  in  an  intelligent  and 
appreciable  manner;  besides,  he  is  a  "past  eminent  com- 
mander" in  the  order  of  knighthood,  the  degrees  of  which 
he  conferred  impressively.  He  is  a  bachelor,  though  not 
yet  "an  old  bachelor." 

The  Townsend  Bank  was  chartered  in  1854.  ^^  ^'""^ 
organization  of  the  grantees,  in  September  of  that  year, 
John  M.  Hollingsworth,  of  Groton,  was  elected  president, 
and  Edward  Ordway,  cashier.  The  following  October. 
Mr.  Hollingsworth 'resigned  the  office  of  president,  i.nd 
Walter  Fessenden  was  chosen  to  fill  that  office.  Mr. 
Ordway  was  only  nineteen  years  of  age.  Both  of  these 
officers  have  been  at  their  post  since  that  time,  having 
gained  and  held  the  most  implicit  confidence  of  the  busi- 
ness men  of  the  Commonwealth,  and  in  fact,  of  the 
government  and  nation. 

The  first  board  of  directors  consisted  of  Walter  Fes- 
senden, Daniel  Adams,  Charles  B.  Barrett  and  Samuel 
Adams,  of  Townsend,  John  M.  Hollingsworth,  of  Groton, 
Stephen  Wyman,  of  Ashby,  Luther  Tarbell,  Jr.,  of  Pep- 
perell.  Nelson  Howe  and  Edwin  C.  Bailey,  of  Boston.  It 
had  one  hundred  and  Iburteen  shareholders,  and  one 
hundred  shares  was  the  largest  amount  taken  by  one 
person.  The  capital  stock  is  one  hundred  thousand 
dollars.  It  has  literally  been  the  people's  bank,  quite  a 
number  of  the  stockholders  owaiing  less  than  ten  shares. 
It  was  changed  to  a  National  Bank,  in  April,  1865.   While 


MISCELLANEOUS  SUBJECTS.  347 

it  was  a  state  institution,  its  bills  contained  some  cunningly 
drawn  figures  and  sparkling  embellishments,  calculated 
at  a  glance  to  reveal  the  contents  of  the  notes  of  the  differ- 
ent denominations. 

In  1869,  burglars  made  an  attempt  to  rob  this  bank. 
They  succeeded  in  opening  the  outer  door  to  the  vault, 
but  the  inside  door,  made  of  steel,  foiled  their  plans,  and 
they  could  go  no  further.  They  applied  gunpowder  to 
the  doors,  probably  by  placing  it  between  them,  expect- 
ing to  drive  the  inside  door  into  the  vault,"  but  without 
the  desired  effect.  The  explosion  awakened  the  neighbor- 
hood, and  the  would-be  burglars  took  to  their  teams  and 
fled.  The  direction  which  they  took  being  soon  learned, 
they  were  followed  by  a  gentleman,  with  a  fast  horse,  and 
their  sweaty  and  panting  team,  consisting  of  a  pair  of 
fleet  horses,  was  found,  just  put  up  in  one  of  the  stables 
in  Lowell.  The  bank  now  has  a  surplus  fund  of  about 
forty  thousand  dollars. 

The  Ladies'  Benevolent  Society,  consisting  of  ladies 
worshipping  with  the  congregationalists.  is  deserving  of  a 
special  notice.  Many  a  thankful  heart  has  bestowed  a 
secret  blessing  on  the  efforts  of  these  persons,  in  their 
labors  of  love  and  philanthropy.  Their  work  has  been 
done  ver}'  quietly,  without  any  passwords,  ostentation, 
regalia,  or  high-sounding  titles.  Without  doubt,  this  pas- 
sage of  the  divine  word  has  been  kept  constantly  in  view  : 
"  And  the  King  shall  answer  and  say  unto  them  ;  verily  I 
say  unto  you  ;  Inasmuch  as  ye  have  done  it  unto  the  least 
of  these  mv  brethren,  ve  have  done  it  unto  me." 


348  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

The   following   is  extracted  Irom  the  proceedings  at 
the  semi-centennial  gathering  of  this  society,  in  1876  : — 

"1826.  Officers  of  the  Ladies'  Benevolent  Society : 
Mary  Palmer,  president ;  Chloe  Stephens,  vice-president ; 
Mary  Adams,  secretary  ;  Abigail  Going,  treasurer.  Man- 
agers— Hannah  Clement,  Hannah  Hart,  Jane  Sanderson, 
Polly  Spaulding. 

"1876.  Mrs.  Jonas  Spaulding,  Jr.,  president;  Mrs. 
William  P.  Taylor,  vice-president ;  Mrs.  Asa  K.  Tyler, 
secretary  and  treasurer.  Managers — Mrs.  Lorenzo  Hil- 
dreth,  Mrs.  Noah  Adams,  Mrs.  Benjamin  F.  Lewis, 
Miss  Maria  Winn,  Mrs.  Aaron  Hildreth,  Mrs.  Thomas 
F.   Seaver. 

"In  ancient  Scripture  times — when  events  occurred 
which  the  people  wished  to  keep  in  mind,  we  are  told  they 
arranged  in  some  wav  as  many  large  stones  as  they  could 
conveniently  move,  and  let  them  stand  as  a  memorial  ol 
the  event,  leaving  it  to  those  who  knew,  to  explain  from 
time  to  time  to  others.  We  are  invited  at  this  time  to  bring 
something  to  serve  the  purpose  of  memorial  stones,  with 
reference  to  our  Ladies'  Benevolent  Society. 

"One  afternoon,  during  the  spring  of  1826,  a  large 
company  of  voung  ladies  trom  ditTerent  parts  of  our  town, 
assembled  in  the  Centre  school-room.  The  motive  which 
brought  them  together,  may  be  best  learned  by  those 
records,  which  have  been  handed  down  to  us:  'We,  the 
subscribers,  believing  it  to  be  the  duty  of  all  to  assist  in 
the  great  work  of  spreading  the  gospel,  and  feeling  it 
likewise  to  be  a  privilege  to  aid  so  noble  a  cause,  do  agree 
to   form    ourselves    into    a    societv,    and    subscribe    to    the 


MISCELLANEOUS    SUBJECTS.  349 

following  articles.  First — This  society  shall  be  called 
The  Young  Ladies'  Reading  and  Charitable  Society  of 
Townsend — whose  object  shall  be  to  meet  at  stated  times 
and  places,  for  the  purpose  of  braiding  straw,  knitting  and 
sewing,  the  avails  of  which  shall  be  appropriated  to  some 
benevolent  purpose,  expressed  by  the  members  of  the 
society.'  After  the  six  articles  of  the  constitution  are 
recorded,  we  find  the  names  of  the  officers,  and  the  names 
of  the  sixty  ladies,  who  were  present  at  that  first  meeting  ; 
very  few  of  whom  are  now  among  the  living.  In  1828, 
we  find  this  resolution  adopted  at  the  annual  meeting : 
'Any  individual  neglecting  to  meet  with  the  society  as 
often  as  once  a  quarter,  and  making  no  return  of  work  at 
the  annual  meeting,  shall  no  longer  be  considered  a  mem- 
ber.' Labor  with  a  purpose,  was  evidently  a  ruling  motive 
in  the  early  years  of  this  society,  though  the  avails  of 
their  labor  were  necessarily  small.  The  channels  of  com- 
munication, with  every  part  of  our  own  country,  were  not 
open  as  now,  and  they  sent  their  money  or  boxes  directly 
to  the  missionary  rooms,  in  Boston,  to  aid  in  foreign  work. 
In  1833,  Mrs.  William  M.  Rogers  w^as  chosen  president; 
Miss  Caroline  Wright,  vice-president;  Mrs.  John  Bertram, 
secretary.  After  this  year,  until  1838,  we  find  the  labors 
of  the  society,  as  such,  suspended,  and  the  efforts  of 
the  ladies  mainly  directed  to  purposes  of  local  interest. 
They  prepared  and  kept  on  hand  for  the  purpose  of  loan- 
ing to  the  needy  sick,  articles  of  bedding,  wearing  ap- 
parel, etc.  The  first  record  of  a  box  sent  west  by  our 
society,  was  made  in  1841,  when  one  was  sent  to  Michi- 
gan, valued  at  fifty-four  dollars.  During  this  3^ear,  a  vote 
was  passed  to  invite  the  gentlemen  to  attend  the  meetings 
and  co-operate  in  the  efforts  of  the  society. 


350  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

''In  1844,  Mrs.  Luther  H.  Sheldon  became  our  presi- 
dent and  secretary,  which  position  she  held  tor  twelve 
years — a  longer  period  than  any  other  person.  The 
American  Home  Missionary  Society  organized  the  same 
year  as  our  own,  and  later,  the  American  Missionary 
Association,  have  afforded  facilities  for  aiding  the  laborers 
on  our  western  frontier,  and  also  the  freedmen  of  the 
south.  The  exact  number  of  boxes  and  barrels  sent  west 
and  south,  by  our  society,  we  are  not  able  to  state;  but 
responses  have  come  to  us  of  such  a  character,  as  should 
stimulate  to  continued  and  increasing  effort. 

''In  1870,  Mrs.  George  H.  Morss  was  chosen  presi- 
dent, and  Mrs.  Asa  K.  Tyler,  secretary  and  treasurer. 
Since  that  date,  our  financial  record  appears  better  than 
in  any  part  of  our  history  for  the  same  period  of  time. 
Our  donations  in  money  and  clothing,  for  home  missions 
and  the  freedmen,  being  nearly  $450,  with  a  parsonage 
fund  of  $1,400.  The  society  took  its  present  name  in 
1845,   when  the  constitution  was  amended. 

"As  the  years  have  rolled  on,  we  find  attention  turned 
from  time  to  time  to  local  interests — sometimes  in  repairs 
about  our  house  of  worship — sometimes  in  assisting  needy 
families.  At  different  times  we  find  a  committee  appointed 
in  the  school  districts,  to  see  if  there  were  children  need- 
ing aid  to  fit  them  out  for  Sabbath  service.  During  the 
war,  the  soldiers  received  quite  a  large  share  in  the 
interest  and  labors  of  this  society.  While  we  have  not 
intentionally  overlooked  home  interests,  in  our  efforts  for 
those  abroad,  we  have  desired  to  act  on  the  principle  that 
one  should  be  done — the  other  not  left  undone.'' 


MISCELLANEOUS  SUBJECTS.  351 

Miss  Mary  Palmer,  the  president  of  this  society  at  its 
inauguration,  is  still  among  the  living.  She  is  nearly  an 
octogenarian,  in  the  full  possession  of  her  intellectual 
faculties,  "of  sound  mind  and  memory,"  and  has  furnished 
the  writer  with  many  facts  embraced  in  this  work.  She  is 
the  daughter  of  Rev.  David  Palmer.  The  secretary  at 
that  time.  Miss  Mary  Adams,  daughter  of  Dea.  Joel 
Adams,  now  the  widow  of  John  Bertram,  M.  D.,  is  also 
alive,  and  as  active  in  the  service  as  in  the  days  of  yore. 
Miss  Myra  Proctor,  daughter  of  Dea.  John  Proctor,  was 
an  efficient  member  of  this  organization.  For  the  past 
seventeen  years  she  has  been  a  missionary,  stationed  at 
Aintab,  Syria.  She  translated  Cutter's  Physiolog}*  into 
the  Armenio-Turkish  language,  published  at  Constanti- 
nople, in  1868.  She  has  much  energy  of  character,  is 
genial,  and  possesses  excellent  culture.  But  not  to  par- 
ticularize further,  it  must  be  acknowledged  that  all  these 
ladies  have  been  benefactors  to  their  race.  "Who  can 
tind  a  virtuous  woman?  for  her  price  is  far  above  rubies." 

Townsend  has  every  reason  to  feel  proud  of  its 
musical  ability,  both  vocal  and  instrumental.  Prominent 
among  the  latter,  stands  the  Townsend  Cornet  Band, 
consisting  of  eighteen  pieces,  under  the  direction  of 
Stephen  A.  Tyler.  The  band  was  organized,  in  1838, 
with  Luther  Adams,  as  leader.  Previous  to  this  time, 
quite  a  number  of  musicians  had  met  together,  at  ditl^erent 
times,  for  the  purpose  of  practice,  but  without  any  regular 
organization.  At  lirst  the  band  consisted  of  tw^enty 
members,  and  without- varying  much  from  that  number, 
it  has  passed  down  through  subsequent  years,  under  the 
successive    direction    of    George    Warren,    Adams  Reed, 


352  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND., 

William  Taylor,  and  Henry  L.  Butler,  to  the  year  1865, 
when  the  present  leader,  Mr.  Tyler,  was  chosen.  He  has 
held  the  position  since  then,  with  the  exception  of  about 
eight  months,  during  which  time  his  place  was  tilled 
by  his  brother,  A.  Parker  T^der.  The  band  has  ac- 
quired, as  it  justly  deserves,  more  than  a  local  recogni- 
tion, receiving  calls  from  the  neighboring  cities  and  towns, 
whenever  an  occasion,  demanding  music,  arises.  It  has 
numbered  among  its  instructors,  Messrs.  S.  E.  Hopkins, 
M.  G.  Gilpatrick,  and  Alonzo  Bond.  The  following  is 
the  present  membership  of  the  band  :  Stephen  A.  Tyler, 
E  flat  clarionet ;  Eugene  Wetherbee,  B  flat  clarionet ;  Fred 
A.  Larkin,  E  flat  cornet;  A.  Parker  Tyler,  solo  B  flat 
cornet;  Charles  E.  Robinson,  first  B  flat  cornet;  Augustus 
A.  Gerrish,  second  B  flat  cornet;  Wallace  L.  Maynard, 
solo  alto  ;  Andrew  Drum,  first  alto  ;  W.  L.  Bartlett,  second 
alto;  John  Arlin,  B  flat  tenor;  John  Boutelle,  baritone; 
Charles  Cram,  B  flat  bass ;  Martin  Whitcomb,  tuba  ;  A. 
K.  T3'ler,  tuba ;  William  Coflee,  bass  drum  ;  Edward 
Gonier,  snare  drum  ;  Elmer  Winn,  cymbals. 

During  the  past  year  an  orchestra  was  formed,  com- 
posed of  members  of  the  brass  band,  with  the  exception 
of  Charles  Cox,  Edward  A.  Walker,  and  Edward 
Walker,  violinists,  consisting  of  ten  pieces.  This  orchestra 
discourses  sweet  music  and  is  well  united. 

Communications  in  writing,  among  the  people,  at  a 
distance,  one  hundred  years  ago,  were  circulated  and 
travelled  much  slower  than  one  would  suppose.  Most  all 
the  letters,  written  in  New  England,  were  sent  by  the 
market  men    and    teamsters    to    a    general    post-office    in 


MISCELLANEOUS    SUBJECTS.  353 

Boston,  and  most  of  them  were  advertised  in  the  Boston 
Gazette,  a  newspaper  duly  authorized  for  that  purpose. 
There  were  some  subscribers  to  that  paper  in  this  town,  at 
that  time.  In  1777,  among  the  letters  advertised  in  a 
copy  of  that  paper,  is  one  for  a  man  in  Lyndeborough, 
New  Hampshire,  one  for  Colonel  William  Prescott,  of 
Pepperell,  and  one  for  "Mary  Reed,  of  Townshend." 

In  1794,  a  man  by  the  name  of  Balch  was  a  courier 
between  Keene  and  Boston,  travelling  on  horseback.  He 
came  through  Townsend,  and  was  an  expressman,  in  a 
small  way,  for  two  or  three  years,  carrying  letters  and 
messages,  and  doing  errands. 

The  Boston  and  Keene  stages  began  to  run  in  1806. 
making  three  trips  a  week,  at  first,  but  soon  after  they 
commenced  changing  horses  so  frequently,  that  the  entire 
distance  was  made  daily.  The  horses  were  changed  at 
Concord,  Groton,  New  Ipswich  (at  the  Wheeler  tavern,) 
and  Jaffrey,  New  Hampshire.  The  coaches  met  at  about 
noon,  in  this  town,  and  during  a  part  of  the  time,  the 
horses  were  changed  and  the  passengers  dined  at  West 
Townsend. 

The  monotony  of  the  long,  summer  days,  in  these 
rural  towns,  was  very  pleasantly  broken  by  the  noisy 
axle-trees  of  these  vehicles  ;  and  the  busy  husbandmen  and 
toilers,  in  the  roadside  fields,  would  pause  in  their  labors, 
to  catch  a  view  of  those  messengers  of  civilization  as  they 
moved  briskly  along.  Some  of  the  stage  drivers  are  well 
remembered  at  the  present  time.  Kimball  Dantbrth  was 
very  popular,  and  later,  Walter  Carlton  and  Stephen 
Corbin  were  for  a  long  time  in  the  service.  These  men 
studied  to  make  every  thing  agreeable  to  their  passengers. 


;)54  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

and  were  very  accommodating  to  all  wishing  to  send 
errands  or  packages.  Their  hardships  in  occasionally 
encountering  the  deep  snow-drifts  on  the  hills,  and  the 
pinching  northwest  winds  which  January  sweeps  over 
the  Townsend  plains,  are  not  forgotten.  After  the  rail- 
roads were  made,  some  of  these  drivers  were  placed  upon 
the  cars,  as  conductors,  but  they  always  appeared  out  of 
their  element,  and  as  though  they  greatly  preferred  the 
excitement  afforded  by  their  pet  animals,  rather  than  the 
unnatural  snort  of  the  iron  horse. 

.  The  following  is  a  list  of  the  postmasters  at  Town- 
send  Centre,  and  the  time  of  their  appointments  : — 

Moses  Warren,  July  i,   1808. 
John  W.  Loring,  July  i,   181 1. 
William  A.   Bancroft,  February  17,   181 7. 
Aaron  Keys,  August  23,   1826. 
Office  discontinued,   October  29,   1834. 
Re-established,  April   11,   1835. 
Joseph  Adams,  Jr.,  April  11,   1835. 
Thomas  Farrar,  July  20,   1839. 
Walter  FesseNden,  November  12,   1846. 
John  Brooks,  September  15,   1849. 
George  A.  Wood,   September  13,   1851. 
Charles  Osgood,  August  12.   1852. 
William  P.  Taylor,  April  12,   1861. 
Edwin  A.   Larkin,  September  27,   1866. 
Charles  Osgood,  August  5,   1868. 
William  P.  Taylor,  April  8,   1869. 


MISCELLANEOUS  SUBJECTS.  Soo 

The   following  is   a  list  of  the  postmasters  at  Town- 
send  Harbor,  and  the  time  of  their  appointments  : — 

James  S.  Walton,   ***** 
David  B.  Livermore,  July  31,   1832. 
Paul  Gerrish,  February  23,   1835. 
Ebenezer  p.   Hills,  April  17,   1839. 
Charles  Gerrish,  February  23,   1842. 
Charles  Emery,  February  8,   1843. 
Oliver  Whitcomb,  January  3,   1850. 
Charles  Emery,  September  15,   1855. 

The   following  is   a  list  of   the  postmasters    at  West 
Townsend,   and  the  time  of  their  appointments  : — 

Silas  Bruce,  July  20,   1849. 
Augustus  G.   Stickney,  June  25,   1855. 
Albert  Howe,  April  22,   1861. 
Augustus  G.  Stickney,  July  17,  1862. 
Albert  Howe,  October  i,   1862. 


There  was  a  mail  route  established  between  Lowell 
and  Worcester,  in  1832,  which  gave  the  Harbor  a  post- 
office,  at  this  early  date,  that  point  being  on  the  route. 

The  post-office  at  Townsend  Centre  was  discontinued 
in  1834,  frt)m  the  cause,  that  the  returns  to  the  department 
were  not  made  as  promptly  as  was  required,  so  that  all 
mail  matter  for  this  town,  from  October  1834,  to  April  11. 
1835,  came  to  the  Harbor. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

TOWN  OFFICEES. 

Some  EeiDiirkable  Votes  of  the  Town— Good  Sense  of  the  Town 
About  Taxes — Names  of  the  Town  Clerks.  Moderators.  Select- 
men, and  Eepresentatives,  from  the  Time  the  Town  was  Char- 
tered to  1879— Justices  of  the  Peace— County  Eoad  Throug-h 
Groton — Deer  Eeeves— Hog   Eeeves— Tithing-Men. 

The  names  of  the  town  officers,  from  the  date  of  its 
incorporation  to  1879,  ^^^  contained  in  this  chapter,  and 
it  is  hoped  that  they  are  arranged  in  a  manner  that  will 
be  agreeable  to  the  reader.  These  men  all  entered  upon 
the  discharge  of  their  several  duties,  clothed  with  a  solemn 
oath,  and  it  is  due  to  each  and  every  one  of  them,  to 
assume  that  their  best  abilities  were  enlisted  in  the  interest 
of  the  town.  Their  acts  have  passed  into  history,  and  the 
relative  position  that  Townsend  now  holds,  compared  with 
her  sister  towns  in  this  Commonwealth,  in  the  scale  of 
wealth,  morality  or  religion,  is  traceable  to  the  manner  in 
which  they  have  discharged  the  duties  committed  to  their 
trust.  A  tinge  of  melancholy  has  shaded  the  records, 
during  the  generations,  as  able  and  experienced  boards  of 
officers  have  fallen  behind  to  give  place  to  others,  who 
also  in    their   Itn-n    have    melted    into    the    shadow}-    past. 


TOWN    OFFICERS.  357 

without    the  personal   remembrance   of  either  kindred   or 

friends. 

•'And  others  rise  to  till  our  places; 
We  sleep,  and  others  run  the  races; 
And  earth  beneath  and  skies  above 
Are  still  the  same ;  and  God  is  love.'' 

For  more  than  a  century,  after  the  town  received  its 
charter,  the  selectmen  charged  nothing  and  received 
nothing  for  their  services,  except  the  honor  of  being  the 
"fathers  of  the  town."  One  instance  on  record  where  pay 
was  received  for  services  rendered  is  as  follows  :  In  1771, 
(town  records,  page  138,)  "Voted  to  give  Thomas  Hubbort 
two  pounds  for  a  peculiar  favor  he  has  shone  the  town." 
What  that  peculiar  favor,  was  is  unknown,  this  being  the 
entire  record  on  that  subject.  It  may  be  inferred  that  it 
was  of  considerable  consequence  to  the  town,  for  although 
the  amount  Mr.  Hobart  received  would  appear  insignifi- 
cant in  the  eyes  of  a  public  servant  of  the  present  day, 
he  undoubtedly  regarded  it  as  a  goodly  amount  of  "  the 
filthy  lucre."  It  was  customary  to  pay  the  assessors  a 
small  sum  for  their  services,  who,  during  the  time  above 
mentioned,  constituted  a  board  entirely  separate  from  the 
selectmen. 

The  practical  good  sense  and  judgment  of  the 
people  who  were  here  more  than  one  hundred  years  ago, 
appeared  in  the  act  of  the  town,  in  1777,  when  the  money 
was  appropriated  by  the  town  to  pay  the  revolutionary 
soldiers,  and  different  quotas  were  awarded  different 
amounts  ;  after  the  several  sums  were  agreed  upon  by  the 
assembled  citizens,  "Voted  that  all  the  above  estimates  be 
made  into  a  rate  on  the  several  inhabitants  of  this  town, 
and  that  the  polls  pay  one-half  of  said  i-ate."  This  has 
the   appearance    of    fair    play    and    justice,    and    is    more 


o;)<S  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

consistent  than  the  present  method.  A  poll-tax  for  some 
time  past  has  been,  and  is  at  present, .  two  dollars.  The 
tax  on  a  male  animal,  of  the  canine  species,  is  two  dollars  ; 
that  on  a  female  animal,  of  the  same  species,  is  five 
dollars  ;  so  that  occasionally  a  man  will  pay  two  and  one- 
half  times  as  much  for  the  existence  of  a  worthless  pet 
dog,  as  he  has  to  pay  for  his  ov\ai  head  and  all  the  advan- 
tages of  good  roads,  good  schools,  and  every  thing  that 
makes  civilized  life  superior  to  barbarism.  The  polls  in 
Townsend  for  some  time  have  paid  about  one-sixteenth 
of  the  entire  tax,  when  one-tifth  would  have  been  a 
fairer  proportion. 

It  will  be  observed,  in  the  following  catalogue,  that 
Townsend  omitted  to  send  a  representative  to  the  General 
Court,  many  times  during  the  lirst  lifty  years  after  the 
acquisition  of  our  national  independence.  Probably  this 
may  be  accounted  for  from  the  fact  that  each  town  for 
most  of  that  time,  paid  its  own  representative,  and  the 
neglect  was  regarded  as  economy.  A  law  suit  (James 
Locke  vs.  The  inhabitants  of  the  town  of  Townsend,)  was 
commenced  in  1786,  concerning  a  bill  which  James  Locke 
brought  against  the  town  for  services  as  a  representative. 
The  town  considered  the  charges,  in  his  account,  exces- 
sive, and  refused  to  pay  it,  which  after  the  usual  delays  of 
the  law  was  finally  compromised  and  adjusted. 

Townsend  has  guarded  her  interests  invariably  with  a 
jealous  eye,  and  maintained  her  legal  rights,  "asking  for 
nothing  but  what  was  right,  and  submitting  to  nothing 
that  was  wrong." 

The  records  for  1732  are  lost,  so  that  it  is  impossible 
to  give  the  officers  for  that  year.  Samuel  Manning  was  the 
town  clerk,  as  appears  from  a  part  of  the    record,  for   that 


TOWN    OFFICERS.  359 

year.     There  is  not  much  doubt  but  that  the  town  had  the 
same  officers,  in  1732,  as  in  1733  : — 

1733.  Moderator,  Joseph  Stevens  ;  Clerk,  Samuel  Man- 

ning. Selectmen — Joseph  Stevens,  Joseph  Bald- 
win,-Samuel  Manning. 

1734.  Moderator,  Jasher  Wyman  ;  Clerk,   Samuel   Man- 

ning. Selectmen — Joseph  Stevens,  Joseph  Bald- 
win, Samuel  Manning. 

1735.  Moderator,  Jasher  Wyman  ;  Clerk,    Samuel  Man- 

ning. Selectmen — John  Stevens,  Jasher  Wy- 
man, Daniel  Taylor,  Jeremiah  Ball,  Samuel 
Manning. 

1736.  Moderator,    Samuel   Manning;    Clerk,  John    Ste- 

vens. Selectmen — John  Stevens,  Jasher  Wyman, 
Daniel  Taylor. 

1737.  Moderator,  Daniel   Taylor;  Clerk,    Samuel   Man- 

ning. Selectmen — Samuel  Manning,  John  Ste- 
vens, William  Clark,  Amos  Whitney,  Jacob 
Baldwin. 

1738.  Moderator,  Jasher  Wyman  ;  Clerk,    Samuel   Man- 

ning. Selectmen — Daniel  Taylor,  James  Hos- 
ley,  Amos  Whitney,  Isaac  Spaulding,  Samuel 
Manning. 

1739.  Moderator,  Nathaniel  Richardson:  Clerk,  Samuel 

Manning.  Selectmen — Samuel  Manning,  Daniel 
Taylor,  Jasher  Wyman,  Ephraim  Brown,  Amos 
Whitney. 


;i()()  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

1740.  Moderator,  Ephraim  Brown;  Clerk,  Samuel  Man- 

ning. Selectmen — ^John  Stevens,  Daniel  Taylor, 
Amos  Whitney. 

1 741.  Moderator,   Daniel  Taylor ;  Clerk,    Samuel   Man- 

ning. Selectmen — William  Fletcher,  John  Stev- 
ens, Nathaniel  Richardson. 

1742.  Moderator,    John   Stevens;   Clerk,    Samuel    Man- 

ning. Selectmen — Samuel  Manning,  John 
Stevens,  Daniel  Taylor,  Ephraim  Brown,  Wil- 
liam Fletcher. 

1743.  Moderator,   Daniel  Taylor;   Clerk,   Samuel   Man- 

ning. Selectmen — Samuel  Manning,  John  Ste- 
vens, Benjamin  Brooks,  Ephraim  Brown,  Daniel 
Taylor. 

1744.  Moderator,  Daniel  Taylor;  Clerk,   Samuel   Man- 

ning. Selectmen — Samuel  Manning,  Benjamin 
Brooks,  Nathaniel  Richardson,  Josiah  Robbins, 
Daniel  Taylor. 

1745.  Moderator,  John    Stevens;    Clerk,    Samuel   Man- 

ning. Selectmen — John  Stevens,  Benjamin 
Brooks,  Nathaniel  Richardson.  John  Conant, 
Amos    Whitney. 

1746.  Moderator,   John  Stevens;    Clerk.   John  Stevens. 

Selectmen — ^John  Stevens,  Benjamin  Brooks,  Na- 
thaniel Richardson. 


TOWN    OFFICERS.  361 

1747.  Moderator,  John  Stevens;     Clerk,  John   Stevens. 

Selectmen — John    Stevens,      Benjamin    Brooks. 
Jeremiah   Ball,   Isaac  Spaulding,  John  Wallis. 

1748.  Moderator,  Nathaniel  Richardson;  Clerk,  Samuel 

Manning.  Selectmen — John  Stevens,  Jonathan 
Hubbard,  Amos  Whitney. 

1749.  Moderator,   Jonathan    Hubbard;     Clerk,    Samuel 

Manning.  Selectmen — ^John  Stevens,  Jonathan 
Hubbard,  Amos  Whitney. 

1750.  Moderator,   Jonathan    Hubbard;     Clerk,    Samuel 

Manning.  Selectmen — John  Stevens,  Jonathan 
Wallis,  Amos  Whitney. 

1751.  Moderator,  Daniel  Taylor;    Clerk,   Samuel  Man- 

ning. Selectmen — Samuel  Manning,  Benjamin 
Brooks,  Amos  Whitney. 

1752.  Moderator,   Daniel  Taylor;  Clerk,   Samuel  Man- 

ning. Selectmen  —  Samuel  Manning,  Amos 
Whitney,   Jonathan    Hubbard. 

1753.  Moderator,   Jonathan    Hubbard;     Clerk,    Samuel 

Manning.  Selectmen — John  Stevens,  Jonathan 
Hubbard.  Benjamin  Brooks,  Amos  Whitne}'. 
Isaac   Spaulding. 

1754.  Moderator,  John    Stevens;    Clerk,    Samuel  Man- 

ning. Selectmen — John  Conant,  Daniel  Adams. 
Zacheriah  Emery. 


H(J2  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

1755.  Moderator,  Daniel  Taylor;    Clerk,  Samuel  Man- 

ning. Selectmen — Samuel  Manning,  Daniel 
Adams,  John  Conant,  Zacheriah  Emery,  Eph- 
raim  Brown. 

1756.  Moderator,   Jonathan    Hubbard;      Clerk,    Samuel 

Manning.  Selectmen — Jonathan  Hubbard,  Amos 
Whitney,  Daniel  Adams,  Zacheriah  Emery, 
Samuel  Manning. 

1757.  Moderator,     Jonathan    Hubbard;      Clerk,    Daniel 

Adams.  Selectmen — Jonathan  Hubbard,  Amos 
Whitney,  Daniel  Adams,  Ebenezer  Wyman, 
William   Stevens. 

1758.  Moderator,    Jonathan    Hubbard;     Clerk,     Daniel 

Adams.  Selectmen — Jonathan  Hubbard,  Dan- 
iel Adams,  Amos  Whitney,  Daniel  Taylor, 
Benjamin  Brooks. 

1759.  Moderator,     Benjamin     Brooks;       Clerk,     Daniel 

Adams.  Selectmen  —  Benjamin  Brooks,  Amos 
Whitney,  Isaac  Spaulding,  Daniel  Adams,  Eph- 
raim  Heald. 

1760.  Moderator,  Daniel  Taylor;   Clerk,  Daniel  Adams. 

Selectmen  —  Daniel  Adams,  Amos  Whitney, 
Daniel  Taylor,  Ephraim  Heald,  Isaac  Spauld- 
ing. 

1761.  Moderator,  Daniel  Taylor;  Clerk,  Daniel  Adams. 

Selectmen  —  Daniel  Adams,  Daniel  Taylor, 
Zacheriah  Emery,  Isaac  Farrar,  Ephraim 
Heald. 


TOWN    OFFICERS.  3 60 

1762.  Moderator,  Daniel  Taylor;    Clerk,  Daniel  Adams. 

Selectmen — Amos  Whitney,  Oliver  Hildreth, 
Jonathan  Wallis,  Daniel  Taylor,  Daniel  Adams. 

1763.  Moderator,  Daniel  Taylor ;  Clerk,  Daniel  Adams. 

Selectmen — Daniel  Adams,  Isaac  Spaulding. 
Daniel  Taylor,  Benjamin  Brooks,  Zacheriah 
Emery. 

1764.  Moderator,  Daniel  Taylor ;  Clerk,  Daniel  Adams. 

Selectmen — Daniel  Adams,  Amos  Whitney. 
Ephraim  Heald,  Thomas  Warren,  Jonathan 
Wallis. 

1765.  Moderator,  Daniel  Taylor  ;  Clerk,  Daniel  Adams. 

Selectmen — Daniel  Adams,  Daniel  Taylor. 
Ephraim  Heald,  Ephraim  Brown,  William 
Clark. 

1766.  Moderator,  Daniel  Taylor ;  Clerk,  Daniel  Adams. 

Selectmen — Daniel  Adams,  Ephraim  Heald. 
Benjamin     Brooks,     James     Hosley,      Jonathan 

Wallis. 

1767.  Moderator,      Ephraim      Heald:      Clerk,      Daniel 

Adams.  Selectmen — Daniel  Adams,  Ephraim 
Heald,  Thomas  Warren,  Isaac  Farrar,  Jonathan 
Wallis. 

1768.  Moderator,      Ephraim       Heald;      Clerk,     Daniel 

Adams.  Selectmen — Daniel  Adams,  Ephraim 
Heald,  Jonathan  Wallis,  Benjamin  Brooks. 
Amos  Heald. 


;»()4  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

1769.  Moderator,     Samuel     Manning;     Clerk,     Samuel 

Manning.  Selectmen — Samuel  Manning,  Amos 
Heald,  Isaac  Farrar,  Jonathan  Patts,  Daniel 
Sherwin. 

1770.  Moderator,  Amos  Heald;  Clerk,    Daniel  Adams. 

Selectmen — Daniel  Adams,  Amos  Heald,  Isaac 
Farrar,    Thomas    Warren,   John    Conant. 

1771.  Moderator,  James  Hosley  ;  Clerk,  Daniel  Adams. 

Selectmen — Daniel  Adams,  James  Hosley,  John 
Conant,    Benjamin  Spaulding,    Samuel  Douglas. 

1772.  Moderator,     Jonathan      Wallis ;      Clerk,      Daniel 

Adams.  Selectmen  —  Daniel  Adams,  Isaac 
Farrar,  Samuel  Douglas,  Zacheriah  Emery, 
James    Hosley. 

1773.  Moderator,  James  Hosley  ;  Clerk,   Daniel  iVdams. 

Selectmen  —  Daniel  Adams,  James  Hosley, 
Zacheriah    Emery,    Benjamin    Brooks,  Jonathan 

Wallis. 

1774.  Moderator,  Daniel  Taylor ;  Clerk,  Daniel  i\dams. 

Selectmen — Daniel  Adams,  Daniel  Taylor, 
Richard  Wyer,  Jonathan  Wallis,  Benjamin 
Brooks. 

1775.  Moderator,  James  Hosley  ;    Clerk,  James  Hosley. 

Selectmen — ^James  Hosle^^  Isaac  Farrar,  Thomas 
Warren,    Daniel  Emery,    Richard  Wyer. 
Representative  in  the  Provincial  Congress,    Israel 
Hobart. 


TOWN    OFFICERS.  365 

1776.  Moderator,  Daniel  Adams;  Clerk,  James  Hosley. 

Selectmen — James  Hosley,    Isaac  Farrar,   Daniel 
Emery,    Richard    Wyer,    Zacheriah  Emery. 
Representative  in  the  Provincial  Congress,    Israel 
Hobart. 

1777.  Moderator,  Daniel  Adams  ;  Clerk,  James  Hosley. 

Selectmen — James  Hosley,  Richard  Wyer,  Levi 
Whitney,    Zacheriah    Emery,    Thomas    Warren. 
Representative,  James  Locke. 

1778.  Moderator,  Daniel  Adams;  Clerk,  James  Hosley. 

Selectmen — James     Hosley,       Richard      Wyer, 
Thomas    Warren,    Benjamin     Spaulding,    Elijah 
Wyman. 
Representative,  James  Locke. 

1779.  Moderator,  Daniel  Adams  ;   Clerk,  James  Hosley. 

Selectmen — Thomas  Warren,   Benjamin  Spauld- 
ing,   Samuel     Maynard,     Daniel     Adams,     Jr.. 
Elijah  Wyman. 
Sent  no  Representative. 

1780.  Moderator,  Daniel  Adams  ;    Clerk,  James  Hosley. 

Selectmen — Thomas    Warren,     Richard     Wyer, 
Isaac    Farrar,     Daniel     Adams,     Jr.,     Benjamin 
Spaulding. 
Representative,  James  Locke. 

1781.  Moderator,  Daniel  Adams  :  Clerk,  James  Hosley. 

Selectmen — Thomas    Warren,     Richard    Wyer, 
Benjamin     Spaulding,     Lemuel     Petts,     Daniel 
Adams,  Jr. 
Representative,  Thomas  Warren. 
47  • 


;-}()6  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

1782.  Moderator,    Isaac   Farrar ;    Clerk,   Benjamin  Ball. 

Selectmen — Benjamin  Ball,    Daniel  Adams,  Jr., 
Lemuel    Petts,    Daniel    Sherwin,   James   Giles. 
Representative,  James  Locke. 

1783.  Moderator,  Daniel  Adams;  Clerk,  Benjamin  Ball. 

Selectmen — Benjamin  Ball,  Daniel  Adams,  Jr., 
Benjamin  Spaulding,  Thomas  "Seaver,  Elijah 
Wyman. 

1784.  Moderator,     William     Hobart ;     Clerk,    Benjamin 

Ball.     Selectmen — Benjamin    Ball,     Daniel    Ad- 
ams, Jr.,    Benjamin  Spaulding,   Thomas  Seaver, 
Lemuel  Petts. 
Representative,  William  Hobart. 

1785.  Moderator,  Daniel  Adams;  Clerk,  Benjamin  Ball. 

Selectmen — Benjamin  Ball,  Thomas  Seaver, 
Thomas  Warren. 

1786.  Moderator,  Daniel  Adams;  Clerk,  Benjamin  Ball. 

Selectmen — Benjamin  Ball,  Thomas  Warren, 
Benjamin  Spaulding. 

1787.  Moderator,  Daniel  Adams;  Clerk,  Daniel  Adams. 

Jr.      Selectmen — Daniel    Adams,    Jr.,     Lemuel 
Petts,     Benjamin      Spaulding,     Jacob     Blodget, 
Abner  Adams. 
Representative,   Daniel  Adams. 

1788.  Moderator,    David    Spafford ;    Clerk,    Daniel   Ad- 

ams, Jr.     Selectmen — Benjamin  Ball,   Benjamin 
Spaulding,    David    Spafford,    Jr.,    Thomas  War- 
ren, Thomas  Seaver. 
Representative,   Daniel  Adams. 


TOWN    OFFICERS.  367 

1789.  Moderator,  Daniel  Adams;  Clerk,  Benjamin  Ball. 

Selectmen — Benjamin  Ball,  Benjamin  Spaulding, 
David    Spafford,   Jr.,    Daniel  Adams,   Jr.,   John 
Campbell. 
Representative,   Daniel  Adams. 

1790.  Moderator,  Daniel  Adams;  Clerk,  Daniel  Adams, 

Jr.       Selectmen — Daniel   Adams,   Jr.,   Benjamin 
Spaulding,     John     Campbell,      Richard    Wyer, 
Lemuel  Petts. 
Representative,  Daniel  Adams. 

1791.  Moderator,  Daniel  Adams;  Clerk,  Daniel  Adams, 

Jr.  Selectmen — Daniel  Adams,  Jr.,  Benjamin 
Spaulding,  Nathan  Conant,  John  Campbell, 
John  Emery. 

1792.  Moderator,  Daniel  Adams;  Clerk,  Daniel  Adams, 

Jr.       Selectmen  —  Daniel    Adams,   Jr.,     Lemuel 
Petts,  Jonathan  Wallis,  John  Campbell,  Nathan 
Conant. 
Representative,  Jonathan  Wallis. 

1793.  Moderator,   Daniel  Adams;    Clerk,  Lite  Baldwin. 

Selectmen — Life    Baldwin,    Daniel   Adams,   Jr., 
John    Campbell,    Jonathan  Wallace,     Zacheriah 
Hildreth. 
Representative,  Jonathan  Wallace. 

1794.  Moderator,  Walden  Stone  ;  Clerk,  Walden  Stone. 

Selectmen — Life  Baldwin,  John  Campbell,  Jona- 
than Wallis,  Abner  Adams,  Thomas  Seaver. 
Sent  no  Representative. 


o()JS  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

1795.  Moderator,  Walden  Stone;  Clerk,  Jacob  Blodget. 

Selectmen — ^Jacob  Blodget,  Abner  Adams,  John 
Emery,  Samuel  Stone,  Nathan  Scales. 
Sent  no  Representative. 

1796.  Moderator,   Daniel  Adams  ;  Clerk,  Jacob  Blodget. 

Selectmen — Daniel  Adams,  Jacob  Blodget,  Ab- 
ner Adams,  John  Emery,   Samuel  Stone. 
Representative,  Daniel  Adams. 

1797.  Moderator,  John  Campbell ;  Clerk,  Daniel  Adams. 

Selectmen — Daniel  Adams,  Jacob  Blodget,  Ab- 
ner Adams,  Samuel  Stone,  Josiah  Richardson. 
Representative,   Daniel  Adams. 

1798.  Moderator,  Jonathan  Wallis  ;  Clerk,    Isaac  Mulli- 

kin.  Selectmen — Walter  Mullikin,  Jacob  Blod- 
get, Abner  Adams,  Josiah  Richardson,  Samuel 
Brooks. 

Sent  no  Representative. 

1799.  Moderator,  John  Campbell ;  Clerk,  Isaac  Mullikin. 

Selectmen — Isaac  Mullikin,    Abner  Adams,   Jo- 
siah Richardson,  John  Emery,  Samuel  Brooks. 
Representative,  John  Campbell. 

1800.  Moderator,  Daniel  Adams  ;  Clerk,  Daniel  Adams. 

Selectmen — Daniel  Adams,     Abner  Adams,    Jo- 
siah Richardson,  Samuel  Brooks,  John  Emery. 
Representative,  John  Campbell. 

1801.  Moderator,  Caleb  Sylvester  :  Clerk,  Daniel  Adams. 

Selectmen — Daniel  Adams,    Josiah  Richardson, 
Joseph  Adams,  Abner  Adams,  Caleb  Sylvester. 
Representative,  John  Campbell. 


TOWN    OFFICERS.  369 

1802.  Moderator,   Caleb  Sylvester;  Clerk,   Isaac   Mulli- 

kin.      Selectmen — Isaac    Mullikin.   John  Camp- 
bell,   Jonathan    Keep,     Samuel    Stone.      Daniel 
Conant. 
Sent  no  Representative. 

1803.  Moderator,  John  Campbell  :  Clerk,  Daniel  Adams. 

Selectmen — Daniel  Adams,  Abner  Adams,  John 
Campbell,  Josiah  Richardson,  Jacob  Blodget. 
Sent  no  Representative. 

1804.  Moderator,  John  Campbell  ;  Clerk,  Daniel  Adams. 

Selectmen — Daniel      Adams.      John     Campbell. 
Jacob     Blodget.      Benanuel     Pratt,     Shubal     C. 
Allen. 
Sent  no  Representative. 

1805.  Moderator,  Caleb  Sylvester:    Clerk,  Josiah   Rich- 

ardson.      Selectmen — ^Josiah     Richardson,   John 
Emery,  Daniel  Conant,  Ebenezer  Stone,  Richard 
Warner. 
Representative,  John  Campbell. 

1806.  Moderator,   Daniel   i\dams ;    Clerk,   Josiah    Rich- 

ardson.       Selectmen — Josiah    Richardson,   John 
Emery,  Daniel  Conant,  Ebenezer  Stone,  Richard 
Warner. 
Representative,  John   Campbell. 

1807.  Moderator,   Daniel  Conant;    Clerk,   Josiah    Rich- 

ardson.      Selectmen — Josiah     Richardson,    John 
Emery.  Daniel  Conant,  Ebenezer  Stone.  Richard 
Warner. 
Representative.  Abner  Adams. 


o7()  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

1808.  Moderator,  Daniel  Adams ;    Clerk,   Josiah    Rich- 

ardson.    Selectmen — Josiah   Richardson,  Ebene- 
zer     Stone,     Aaron     Warren,    Samuel     Brooks, 
Nathaniel   Cummings. 
Representative,  Abner  Adams. 

1809.  Moderator,  John  Emery  ;    Clerk,   Josiah  Richard- 

son.       Selectmen — Josiah     Richardson,     Aaron 
Warren,  Samuel  Brooks,  Nathaniel  Cummings, 
Noah  Ball. 
Sent  no  Representative. 

1 810.  Moderator,  Aaron  Warren  ;    Clerk,   Josiah  Rich- 

ardson.     Selectmen — Josiah  Richardson,  Aaron 
Warren,   Samuel  Brooks,   Nathaniel   Cummings, 
William  Archibald. 
Representative,  Abner  Adams. 

181 1.  Moderator,  Aaron  Warren  ;  Clerk,  Samuel  Brooks. 

Selectmen — Samuel    Brooks,    Richard    Warner, 
Aaron  Warren,    Nathaniel  Cummings,    William 
Archibald. 
Representative,   Samuel  Brooks. 

181 2.  Moderator,  Aaron  Warren  ;  Clerk,  Samuel  Brooks. 

Selectmen — Samuel    Brooks,     Richard    Warner, 
Aaron   Warren,    Nathaniel  Cummings,    William 
Archibald. 
Representative,  Samuel  Brooks. 

1 81 3.  Moderator,  Aaron  Warren  ;  Clerk,  Samuel  Brooks. 

Selectmen — Samuel     Brooks,     Aaron     Warren, 
Nathaniel  Cummings,  William  x\rchibald,  Joseph 
Adams. 
Representative,  Samuel  Brooks. 


TOWN    OFFICERS.  371 

1814.  Moderator,  Aaron  Warren  ;  Clerk,  Samuel  Brooks. 

Selectmen — Samuel     Brooks,     Aaron     Warren. 
William      Archibald,      Joseph      Adams,      Eliab 
Going. 
Representative,   Samuel  Brooks. 

1815.  Moderator,  Aaron  Warren  ;  Clerk,  Samuel  Brooks. 

Selectmen — Samuel     Brooks,      Joseph     Adams. 
Eliab   Going,   Nathaniel  Cummings,   Isaac  San- 
ders. 
Representative,  Samuel  Brooks. 

1816.  Moderator,  Josiah  Richardson  ;    Clerk,  Nathaniel 

Cummings.       Selectmen — Nathaniel  Cummings, 
Josiah  Richardson,  Isaac  Sanders,  Zela  Bartlett. 
Solomon  Jewett. 
Representative,  Samuel  Brooks. 

181 7.  Moderator,     Aaron     Warren  :     Clerk,     Nathaniel 

Cummings.      Selectmen — Nathaniel    Cummings, 
Josiah     Richardson,     Isaac     Sanders,    Benanuel 
Pratt,  Joel  Adams. 
Representative,   Samuel  Brooks. 

1818.  Moderator,     Aaron     Warren ;     Clerk,     Nathaniel 

Cummings.       Selectmen — Nathaniel    Cummings. 
Samuel   Brooks,    Aaron   Warren. 
Sent  no  Representative. 

1819.  Moderator,     Aaron    Warren  ;     Clerk,     Nathaniel 

Cummings.       Selectmen — Nathaniel   Cummings. 
Samuel  Brooks,  Aaron  Warren. 
Representative,  Aaron  Warren. 


;)72  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

1820.  Moderator,    Aaron     Warren :     Clerk,     Nathaniel 

Cummings.      Selectmen — Nathaniel  Cummings, 
Samuel  Brooks,  Isaac  Turner. 
Representative,  Aaron   Warren. 

1821.  Moderator,  Aaron  Warren  ;  Clerk,  Aaron  Warren. 

Selectmen — Aaron  Warren,    Samuel   Stone,   Jr., 
John  Shipley. 
Representative,  Aaron   Warren. 

1822.  Moderator,    Nathaniel    Cummings;    Clerk,   Aaron 

Warren.       Selectmen — Aaron    Warren,    Samuel 
Stone,  Jr.,   Daniel  Giles. 
Sent  no  Representative. 

1823.  Moderator,  Aaron  Keyes  :    Clerk,  Aaron  Warren. 

Selectmen — Aaron  Warren,    Samuel  Stone,  Jr., 
Daniel  Giles. 
Representative,  Aaron   Warren. 

1824.  Moderator,  William  A.    Bancroft:    Clerk,    Aaron 

Warren.        Selectmen — Aaron      Warren,       Joel 
Adams,  Joel  Spaulding. 
Representative,  Aaron   Warren. 

1825.  Moderator,     Joel     Adams:     Clerk,   Joel    x\dams. 

Selectmen — ^Joel  Adams,  Joel  Spaulding,  Josiah 
G.   Heald. 
Sent  no  Representative. 

1826.  Moderator,  x\aron  Warren  ;  Clerk,  Aaron  Warren. 

Selectmen — Aaron     Warren,    Josiah    G.    Heald, 
Samuel  Brooks,  Aaron   Keyes,   William  Pratt. 
Representative,   Aaron   Warren. 


TOWN    OFFICERS.  373 

1827.  Moderator,    Solomon   Jewett,   Jr.  ;    Clerk,    Aaron 

Warren.       Selectmen — Aaron    Warren,    Samuel 
Stone,     Jr.,     William     Pratt,     Joel     Spaulding, 
Aaron  Keyes. 
Representative,  Aaron  Warren.* 

1828.  Moderator,  Jacob  S.   Ryner ;    Clerk,  Aaron  War- 

ren.    Selectmen — Aaron  Warren,  William  Pratt, 
Josiah  G.    Heald,  Paul    Gerrish,    Aaron  Keyes. 
Representative,  Aaron   Warren. 

1829.  Moderator,    Solomon   Jewett,    Jr.  ;   Clerk,    Aaron 

Warren.      Selectmen — Aaron   Warren,    William 
Pratt,  Paul  Gerrish,  Aaron  Keyes,  Richard  W. 
Pierce. 
Representative,  Aaron   Warren. 

1830.  Moderator,    Solomon   Jewett,    Jr.  :    Clerk,    Aaron 

Warren.        Selectmen — Paul      Gerrish,      Aaron 
Keyes,    Richard    W.    Pierce,     Solomon   Jewett, 
Jr.,  Benjamin  Barrett,  Jr. 
Representative,  Aaron   Warren. 

1831.  Moderator,    Solomon   Jewett,  Jr.  ;  Clerk,  Solomon 

Jewett,   Jr.,       Selectmen — Solomon   Jewett,   Jr., 
Richard    W.     Pierce,     Benjamin     Barrett,     Jr., 
Josiah   G.    Heald,    Isaac   Spaulding. 
Sent  no  Representative. 


*In  18-27,  "Voted  that  the  town  will  abolish  the  custom  of  receiving  a  treat  from 
their  representative  when  chosen."  Townsend  commenced  early  in  the  temperance 
cause.  Aaron  Warren,  this  year,  instead  of  furnishing  the  Ihiuors,  jiresented  an 
expensive  pall  or  burying-cloth  to  the  town.  This  might  liave  licen  intended  as  a 
symbol  of  public  opinion  which  was  preparing  to  bury  His  Majesty,  King  Alcohol. 

48 


374  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

1832.  Moderator,  Aaron  Keyes  ;  Clerk,  Solomon  Jewett, 

Jr.       Selectmen — Solomon   Jewett,   Jr.,   Richard 
W.  Pierce,   Benjamin   Barrett,  Jr.,  Joel   Emer}-, 
Levi    Sherwin. 
Representative,  Paul  Gerrish. 

1833.  Moderator,   Joel    Adams;    Clerk,    David    Palmer, 

Selectmen — Solomon   Jewett,   Jr,,     Richard    W, 
Pierce,  Benjamin  Barrett,  Jr.,   Levi   Ball,  Abra- 
ham Seaver. 
Representative,  David   Palmer. 

1834.  Moderator,    Henry  Sceva ;    Clerk,    Paul    Gerrish. 

Selectmen — Paul  Gerrish,   Joel  Emery,    William 
Pratt. 
Representatives,     David     Palmer     and     Elnathan 
Davis. 

1835.  Moderator,  Joseph  Steele;   Clerk,    Paul    Gerrish. 

Selectmen — Paul  Gerrish,  William  Pratt,  Benja- 
min Barrett,   Jr. 
Representatives,  Joel  Emer}'  and    David    Palmer, 

1836.  Moderator,  Samuel  Adams  ;  Clerk,  David  Palmer. 

Selectmen — Quincy    Sylvester,    Luther    Adams, 
Daniel   Adams. 
Representatives,  Joel  Emery  and  Samuel  Adams. 

1837.  Moderator,  Samuel  Adams;  Clerk,  David  Palmer. 

Selectmen — ^Joel    Adams,    Levi     Ball,    Elnathan 
Davis. 
Representative,  Joel  Emery. 


TOWN    OFFICERS.  375 

1838.  Moderator,  Henry  Sceva ;   Clerk,    David  Palmer. 

Selectmen — William    Pratt,     Benjamin    Barrett, 
Jr.,  Paul  Gerrish. 
Representative,  Josiah  G.   Heald. 

1839.  Moderator,  Ezra   Blood  ;    Clerk,    Samuel  Adams. 

Selectmen — Joel    Adams,    Joel    Emery,    Luther 
Adams. 
Representative,  Luther  Adams. 

1840.  Moderator,   Henry   Sceva ;   Clerk,   John  Bertram. 

Selectmen — Joel     Emery,     Richard    W.    Pierce, 
William  Pratt. 
Representative,  Daniel   Giles. 

1841.  Moderator,  Henry  Sceva;    Clerk,  John   Bertram. 

Selectmen — Henry    Sceva,     Ebenezer    Rawson, 
Henry  A.  Woods. 
Sent  no  Representative. 

1842.  Moderator,   Henry   Sceva;   Clerk,  John   Bertram. 

Selectmen — Henry     Sceva,     Henry    A.    Woods, 
Luther  Adams. 
Representative,   Henry  Sceva. 

1843.  Moderator,    Ezra     Blood;     Clerk,     Daniel    Giles. 

Selectmen — Paul  Gerrish,  Luther  Adams,  Daniel 
Adams. 
Representative,  Henry  Sceva. 

1844.  Moderator,    Ezra    Blood ;     Clerk,     Daniel     Giles. 

Selectmen — Paul  Gerrish,  Daniel  x\dams,  Luther 
Adams. 
Sent  no  Representative. 


376  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

1845.  Moderator,  Samuel  Adams;   Clerk,   Daniel  Giles. 

Selectmen — John  Scales,  Levi  Stearns,  Ebenezer 
Rawson. 
Sent  no  Representative. 

1846.  Moderator,  Daniel    Adams ;    Clerk,    Daniel   Giles. 

Selectmen — John    Scales,   Joseph    Adams,   John 
Hart. 
Representative,  Levi  Warren. 

1847.  Moderator,     Ezra     Blood,     Jr.  ;     Clerk,     Joseph 

Adams.         Selectmen — Joseph       Adams,      Levi 
Stearns,   John    Hart. 
Representative,  Joel  Kendall. 

1848.  Moderator,  Ezra  Blood,  Jr.  ;  Clerk,  Joseph  Adams. 

Selectmen — Joseph  Adams,     Levi  Stearns,    Joel 
Emery. 
Representative,  Joel  Emery. 

1849.  Moderator,  Ezra  Blood,  Jr.  ;  Clerk,  Joseph  Adams. 

Selectmen — Joel    Emery,    Luther    Adams,    Ezra 
Blood,  Jr. 
Representative,  Samuel  Hart. 

1850.  Moderator,    Ezra  Blood ;    Clerk,   Joseph    Adams. 

Selectmen — Joseph  Adams,    John  Scales,    Zimri 
Sherwin. 
Representative,   Henry  A.  Gerry. 

1851.  Moderator,    Charles    Powers:     Clerk,    Henry    A. 

Gerry.        Selectmen  —  Charles    Powers,      Aaron 
Pressey,  Joel  Emery. 
Representative,   Samuel  S.    Haynes. 


TOWN    OFFICERS.  377 

1852.  Moderator,  Levi  Sherwin  ;  Clerk,  Qiiinc}'  A.  Syl- 

vester.      Selectmen — Quincy  A.  Sylvester,   Levi 
Sherwin,  Nathaniel  F.  Cummings. 
Sent  no  Representative. 

1853.  Moderator,  Abram  S.  French;    Clerk,  Quincy  A. 

Sylvester.     Selectmen — Daniel  Adams,   Nathan- 
iel F.  Cummings,  Charles  B.  Barrett. 
Sent  no  Representative. 

1854.  Moderator,    Samuel   Adams ;    Clerk,    Daniel  Ad- 

ams.     Selectmen — ^Joseph  Adams,  Levi  Stearns. 
Charles  B.  Barrett. 
Representative,   Benjamin  E.  Wetherbee. 

1855.  Moderator,  Ezra  Blood  ;     Clerk,    Rector  T.  Bart- 

lett.     Selectmen — Nathaniel  F.  Cummings,  Ezra 
Blood,  James  E.  Adams. 
Representative,  Frederick  A.  Worcester. 

1856.  Moderator,  Eliab  Going  ;    Clerk,  Rector  T.  Bart- 

lett.     Selectmen — Nathaniel  F.  Cummings,  Dan- 
iel Adams,  Alexander  Craig. 
Representative,   Luther  Adams. 

1857.  Moderator,  Eliab  Going  ;    Clerk,   Rector  T.  Bart- 

lett.      Selectmen — Henry  Sceva,    Albert   Howe. 
Benjamin  E.  Wetherbee. 
Representative,  Frederick  A.  Worcester,  of  Town- 
send.* 


'Townsend  and  Ashby  coiiistituted  District  No.  -27,  tliis  year. 


M>>  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

1858.  Moderator,    Ezra  Blood ;     Clerk,    Daniel    Adams. 

Selectmen — Joseph  Adams,  William   H.   Lewis, 
Zimri  Sherwin. 
Representative,   Noah  Ball,  of  Townsend. 

1859.  Moderator,    Ezra   Blood  ;    Clerk,    Daniel    Adams. 

Selectmen — John  Scales,   Jr.,    John    Whitcomb, 
Jonathan  Pierce. 
Representative,  Alexander  Craig,  of  Townsend. 

i860.      Moderator,  Christopher  Gates  ;  Clerk,   Daniel  iVd- 
ams.      Selectmen — John   Scales,  Jr.,    Alexander 
Craig,    Benjamin  F.  Lewis. 
Representative,  Joseph  Foster,  of  Ashby. 

1861.  Moderator,  Ezra  Blood  ;  Clerk,  Ezra  Blood.     Se- 

lectmen— Nathaniel    F.    Cummings,     Alexander 
Craig,  Benjamin  F.  Lewis. 
Representative,   Abram  S.  French,  of  Townsend. 

1862.  Moderator,     Edwin     A.     Larkin  ;     Clerk,    Noah 

Wallace.      Selectmen — Nathaniel  F.  Cummings, 
Alexander  Craig,  Benjamin  F.  Lewis. 
Representative,  Abram  S.  French,  of  Townsend. 

1863.  Moderator,    Samuel    S.    Haynes ;     Clerk,     Daniel 

Adams.      Selectmen — Nathaniel   F.    Cummings, 
Oliver  H.   Pratt,  Charles  H.  Warren. 
Representative,  Paul  Gates,  of  Ashby. 

1864.  Moderator,     Stillman     Haynes ;      Clerk,     Daniel 

Adams.      Selectmen — Nathaniel    F.   Cummings, 
James   N.   Tucker,   Newton   C.   Boutell. 
Representative,  Anson  D.   Fessenden,    of    Town- 
send. 


TOWN    OFFICERS.  379 

1865.  Moderator,     Stillman      Haynes ;      Clerk,     Daniel 

Adams.        Selectmen — Oliver    Proctor,    Stillman 
Haynes,  Abel  G.   Stearns. 
Representative,  George  L.   Hitchcock,  of  Ashbv. 

1866.  Moderator,    Samuel    S.    Haynes ;    Clerk,     Daniel 

Adams.       Selectmen — Abel    G.    Stearns,    Noah 
Ball,  Edwin  A.   Larkin. 
Representative,  Noah   Wallace,  of  Townsend. 

1867.  Moderator,     Christopher     Gates;     Clerk,     Daniel 

Adams.     Selectmen — Abel  G.  Stearns,  Benjamin 
F.   Lewis,  Edwin  A.   Larkin. 
Representative,  Jonathan  Pierce,  of  Townsend.* 

1868.  Moderator,     Christopher     Gates ;     Clerk,     Daniel 

Adams.     Selectmen — Abel    G.     Stearns,    Edwin 
A.   Larkin,  Jonathan  Pierce. 
Representative,  A.  A.   Plympton,  of  Shirley. 

1869.  Moderator,     Christopher     Gates ;     Clerk,     Daniel 

Adams.     Selectmen — Abel  G.    Stearns,    Charles 
Osgood,  Benjamin  Brown. 
Representative,  Samuel  R.   Damon,  of  Ashby. 

1870.  Moderator,     Christopher     Gates ;     Clerk,     Daniel 

Adams.     Selectmen — Abel  G.    Stearns,    Charles 
Osgood,   Benjamin  Brown. 
Representative,  Benjamin  F.  Lewis,  of  Townsend. 


*In  1867,  Townsend,  Ashby  and  Shii-ley,  constituted  a  representative  district. 
Middlesex  county  was  entitled  to  forty-one  of  the  two  hundred  and  forty  members  of 
the  House  of  Representatives. 


:\H{)  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

1871.  Moderator,    Ithamar    B.   Sawtelle ;    Clerk,   Chris- 

topher   Gates.       Selectmen — Abel     G.     Stearns, 
Benjamin  Brown,  Joshua  S.   Page. 
Representative,   Alvin  Lavvton,  of  Shirley. 

1872.  Moderator,    Ithamar    B.    Sawtelle;   Clerk,    Chris- 

topher    Gates.       Selectmen — Abel     G.    Stearns, 
Benjamin  Brown,  Joshua  S.  Page. 
Representative,  Samuel  S.  Haynes,  of  Townsend. 

1873.  Moderator,     Ithamar  B.   Sawtelle;    Clerk,   Chris- 

topher   Gates.        Selectmen — Abel    G.    Stearns, 
Benjamin  Brown,  Joshua  S.   Page. 
Representative,  Alonzo  A.   Carr,  of  Ashby. 

1874.  Moderator,  Albert  L.  Fessenden  ;    Clerk,  Christo- 

pher Gates.    Selectmen — Charles   Osgood,    Eliot 
Moore,  Ephraim  S.  Wilder. 
Representative,  Edwin  A.    Spaulding,    of  Town- 
send. 

1875.  Moderator,    Albert    L.  Fessenden;  Clerk,   Chris- 

topher    Gates.        Selectmen — Charles     Osgood, 
Ephraim  S.  Wilder,   George  A.   Upton. 
Representative,   Samuel   Longley,   of  Shirle\'. 

1876.  Moderator,  Ithamar  B.   Sawtelle  ;   Clerk,   Christo- 

pher  Gates.       Selectmen — Ephraim    S.    Wilder, 
Abel  G.   Stearns,  Eugene  R.   Kilbourn. 
Representative,  Alfred  M.  Adams,  of  Townsend.* 


*In  1S7(5,  Ayer,   Ashbv.   Shirley   and  Townsend.   constituted   one  representative 
<trict 


TOWN    OFFICERS.  381 

1877.  Moderator,  Ithamar  B.    Sawtelle  ;    Clerk,    Christo- 

pher Gates.     Selectmen — Abel  G.   Stearns,  Ben- 
jamin Brown,   Benjamin  Henecy. 
Representative,  George  V.   Barrett,  of  Ayer. 

1878.  Moderator,  Ithamar  B.   Sawtelle  ;   Clerk,  William 

P.    Taylor.     Selectmen — Abel  G.   Stearns,  Ben- 
jamin Brown,   Edwin  A.   Spaulding. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  Justices  of  the  Peace, 
in  Tovvnsend,  since  its  incorporation  in  1732  : — 

John  Stevens,  Hiram  Walcott, 

Israel  Hobart,  Samuel  Jenkins, 

James  Locke,  Frederick  A.  Worcester, 

Daniel  Adams,  Levi  Stearns, 

Isaac  Mullikin,  James  N.  Tucker, 

JosiAH  Richardson,  Noah  Ball, 

Samuel  Brooks,  Henry  Sceva, 

Aaron  Warren,  Hartwell  Graham, 

Walter  Hastings,  Ephraim  S.  Wilder, 

Shobal  C.  Allen,  Stillman  Haynes, 

Richard  Warner,  Ithamar  B.  Sawtelle, 

Levi  Sherwin,  Albert  Howe, 

Aaron  Keyes,  George  Taft. 

The  town,  in  the  choice  of  its  officers,  especiall}'  dur- 
ing the  early  part  of  its  existence,  invariably  put  the 
right  men  in  the  right  place.  For  example,  in  1735 ^  the 
town  "chose  Capt.  John  Stevens  to  appear  at  the  General 
Court  to  get  the  lands  subjected,"  that  is,  have  a  law 
passed  whereby  non-residents'  land  should  be  taxed. 
"Voted  that  he  shall  ask  the  Honorable  Court  for  two 
pence  an  acre  for  the  first  year,  and  one  penn}-  for  the 
next  two  years."  John  Stevens  was  a  field  surveyor,  and 
had  a  large  acquaintance  in  Middlesex  county. 


382  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

The  court  granted  the  request  of  the  town,  and  for  a 
long  time  the  tax  on  non-residents'  lands  was  a  penny  an 
acre.  The  payers  of  this  tax,  living  in  the  oldest  settled 
towns  in  the  province,  were  men  of  wealth,  and  some  of 
them  were  members  of  the  Assembly,  which  acceded  to 
the  request  of  the  town,  made  through  Capt.  Stevens. 
Thirty  pounds  of  the  penny  acre  "rait"  were  appropriated 
"toward  finishing  some  part  of  the  meeting  house." 

In  1738,  "Voted  that  Capt.  John  Stevens  appear  in 
the  name  and  behalf  of  the  town,  to  desire  of  the  town  of 
Groton,  that  the  bridge  over  the  great  river,  in  said  town, 
be  forthwith  rebuilt,  or  upon  their  refusal  to  make  applica- 
tion at  Quarter  Sessions  next  to  be  holden  at  Concord, 
that  a  county  road  may  forthwith  be  laid  out  through 
Groton." 

For  a  time,  this  was  delayed ;  but  the  Townsend 
people  were  determined  to  have  a  county  road  laid  out 
from  this  town  to  Groton,  which  would  require  a  bridge 
over  the  Nashua,  where  the  Fitch  bridge  now  stands. 
James  Locke,  Jr.,  with  suitable  assistance,  surveyed  a 
route  for  this  road,  and  drew  a  plan  of  it,  which  was  pre- 
sented to  the  Court.  (This  plan  may  now  be  seen  in  the 
office  of  the  Secretary  of  State,  volume  4,  page  51,  an- 
cient plans  and  maps.)  A  county  road,  according  to  the 
plan,  was  ordered  by  the  Court.  Groton  felt  aggrieved 
because  the  town  was  obliged  to  build  and  maintain  so 
many  bridges,  and  claimed  that  Townsend  should  be 
compelled  to  bear  one-half  of  the  expense  of  the  bridge, 
according  to  Locke's  survey,  which  was  greatly  for  the 
benefit  of  Townsend.* 


Butler's  )ii.<tory  of  Groton,  page  55. 


TOWN    OFFICERS.  383 

Groton  had  as  many  bridges  over  the  Nashua,  in  175 1, 
as  at  the  present  time,  and  in  nearly  the  same  places. 
The  present  road  between  Tovvnsend  and  Groton,  after 
entering  the  limits  of  the  town  of  Pepperell,  is  situated 
further  north  than  the  one  surveyed  and  accepted  for  the 
county  road,  at  that  time,  which  is  now  discontinued. 
Considerable  feeling  was  manifested  between  the  citizens 
of  the  two  towns.  The  people  of  Townsend  accomplished 
their  object,  whether  justly  or  not,  through  the  adroit 
management  of  two  or  three  sharp  men. 

It  appears  that  wild  animals,  either  ferocious  or  timid, 
were  not  numerous  here,  when  the  town  was  settled.  The 
bear  and  the  wolf  had  receded  from  the  sound  of  the 
woodman's  axe.  Occasionally  one  of  these  animals  would 
make  a  raid  on  the  flocks  and  herds.  Eldad  Bailey,  a 
truthful  old  gentleman,  now  eighty-seven  years  old,  says 
that  he  saw  Capt.  Zacheriah  Hildreth  shoot  a  bear  near 
his  (Mr.  Bailey's)  house,  when  he  was  a  boy.  The  ani- 
mal had  a  piece  of  a  log  chain-link  in  his  body,  which  he 
probably  received  from  the  gun  of  an  Ashb}-  man  who 
shot  at  him  with  that  ammunition,  a  considerable  time  pre- 
vious to  his  capture.  Deer  in  pairs,  and  in  small  herds, 
were  seen  at  times.  An  effort  was  made,  for  a  long  time, 
to  protect  these  animals  from  the  pitiless  marksmen.  Two 
officers  were  annually  chosen,  called  deer-reeves,  whose 
duty  it  was  to  inform  if  any  one  molested  the  deer  at  cer- 
tain times  during  the  3'ear,  and  to  assist  in  punishing  the 
offenders  against  the  regulation  of  the  town  concerning 
that  animal. 


o84  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

In  1734,  the  town  chose  three  hog-reeves.  The  duty 
of  these  officers  was  to  take  care  of  the  hogs,  which  were 
allow^ed  to  run  at  large  for  more  than  eighty  years  after 
the  incorporation  of  the  town.  The  hogs  "were  rung,"  as 
it  was  called  ;  that  is,  a  piece  of  wire  was  put  through  the 
upper  part  of  the  hog's  snout,  bent  in  the  form  of  a  ring, 
and  twisted  together  at  the  ends.  When  the  creature 
commenced  subsoiling,  the  wire  would  cause  pain  and 
prevent  the  operation.  The  animals  were  prevented  from 
going  through  fences,  by  a  wooden  yoke.  If  the  citizens 
neglected  to  put  this  regalia  on  their  porcine  workmen, 
the  hog-reeves  were  obliged  to  do  it  for  them  for  which  a 
regular  fee  was  allowed.  A  little  mirth  always  attended 
the  election  of  these  officers.  The  three  latest  married 
men  were  sure  to  be  chosen  on  this  board.  No  one  ever 
became  angry,  or  considered  himself  insulted,  bv  being 
honored  with  the  office,  but  patiently  waited  to  see  how 
much  fun  he  could  have  with  his  successors. 

During  the  time  that  the  town  constituted  one  parish, 
tithing-men  were  chosen,  at  each  annual  town  meeting, 
whose  duty  it  was  to  see  that  the  Sabbath  was  properly 
observed,  and  particularly  that  people  attended  public 
worship  on  that  day.  At  the  present  day,  and  for  the 
last  twent3'-tive  3'ears,  the  tithing-men  of  Townsend  have 
been  elected  from  that  class  of  persons  who  seldom  or 
never  attend  sanctuary  services,  or  trouble  themselves,  in 
the  least,  about  what  is  done  on  the  Sabbath  dav. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 


MARBIAGES. 


Marriages   of  Townseiul   People  from  the  Incorporation  of  the  Town 
to   the  Piesent  Time. 

The  following  account  of  the  marriages  of  Townsend 
people  was  drawn  from  various  sources  and  different 
records.  It  contains  every  marriage,  of  w^hich  there  is 
any  record  to  be  found,  performed  within  the  tirst  hundred 
years  after  the  incorporation  of  the  town.  The  records 
made  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Hemenway  concerning  baptisms 
are  very  full,  but  the  names  of  many  parties  joined  in 
wedlock  by  him,  are  not  on  record.  Mr.  Dix  and  Mr. 
Palmer  have  both  left  a  complete  record  of  the  marriages 
performed  by  them.  The  orthography  of  the  christian 
names  has  been  preserved,  so  that  Rebecca,  Sibyl,  and 
other  names,  will  be  found  spelled  differently.  Should 
this  chapter  appear  too  long  to  the  reader,  let  it  be  borne 
in  mind  that  marriage  is  the  key  to  domestic  life.  Perhaps 
genealogists  yet  unborn  will  run  it  over  with  interest. 

Marriages  performed  by  Rev.  Phinehas  Hemenway  : 

1737.     Januar}'  4,     Thomas  Hadley,     Townsend,    Sarah 
Wheeler,  Townsend. 

Joshua  Wheeler,  Townsend,  Mehitabel 

Hadlev,  Groton. 


;)S()  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

1738.  March    i,    Jonathan    Stevens,    Townsend,    Sarah 

S  artel  1,  Groton. 

May   24,    Timothy    Whitney,    Townsend,    Submit 
Parker,  Groton. 

September  15,  Nathaniel  Richardson,  Townsend, 
Elizabeth  Stevens,  Chelmstbrd. 

Samuel     Wheeler,     Townsend,     Ruth 

Wheeler,  Lancaster. 

1739.  June  6,  John    Brown,  Townsend,    Mary    Stevens, 

Townsend. 

1741.  December  2,  Zacheriah  Emery,  Townsend,  Esther 

Stevens,  Townsend. 

1742.  June    23,  Jonas  Woolson,    Nevy  Ipswich,    N.    H., 

Susanna  Wallis,  Townsend.    . 

September    14,    John    Coftran,    Suncook,   N.    H., 
Margaret  Waugh,  Townsend. 

1743.  March  i,  Isaac  Farrar,  Townsend,  Sarah  Brooks, 

Townsend. 

March    i,     Daniel     Adams,      Townsend,     Keziah 
Brooks,  Townsend. 

1745.  September  3,  Benjamin   King,  Towaisend,    Sarah 

Taylor,   Townsend. 

March    19,     Seth    Brooks,     Townsend,    Elizabeth 
Stevens,  Townsend. 

1746.  December    16,     David    Sloan,    Townsend,    Lydia 

Melvin,  Townsend. 

1749.  December  5,  William  Richee,  Peterborough,  N.H., 

Mary  Waugh,  Townsend. 

June    22,      Joseph     Rumrill.      Townsend,      Lucy 
Stevens,  Tow^nsend. 

1750.  December  13,   William   Stevens,   Townsend,  Sybil 

Farnsworth,  Groton. 

December  13,    Jonas    Stevens,     Townsend,    Ruth 
Farrar,   Concord. 

December      15,      Jonah    Farwell,     Groton.     Lydia 
Farnsworth.   Groton. 


MARRIAGES.  387 

1751.  December  26,  John  Robb,   Peterborough,   N.    H., 

Elizabeth  Creiton,  Townsend. 

1752.  January  9,  John  Avery,   Townsend,  Mary  Farns- 

worth,  Groton. 

1753.  March     27,     Samuel     Manning,    Jr.,    Townsend, 

Abiza  Avery,  Townsend. 

June  27,  Jonathan  Patt,  Townsend,  Sarah  Hosley, 
Townsend. 

1754.  January  17,  William  Clark,  Jr.,  Townsend,  Sarah 

Locke,  Townsend. 

February  14,  John  Chandler,  New  Ipswich,  N.  H., 
Lydia  Taylor,  Townsend. 

1756.  December  14,  Joseph  Baldwin,   Townsend,    Mary 

Searles,   Townsend. 

1757.  May  30,  Samuel  Lawrence,   No.    i,    Mary  Avery, 

Townsend. 

March    24,    Andrew    Spaulding,     New     Ipswich, 
N.  H.,  Abigail  Martyn,  Pepperell. 

April  '27,    Daniel    Taylor,    Townsend,    Elizabeth 
Cummings,  Dunstable. 

December  22,  Jonathan  Crosby,  3d,  New  Ipswich, 
N.  H.,  Lydia  Chandler,  Westford. 

1758.  March   30,    Andrew    Searles,    Townsend,    Lienor 

Heald,  Townsend. 

April    20,    Josiah    Robbins,    Townsend,    Hannah 
Lams,  Hollis,  N.  H. 

May    24,    Peter    Heald,  Sliptown,  Sarah  Belcher, 
Townsend. 

September     25,     Nathaniel     Sartell,     Townsend, 
Katherine  Hemenway,  Townsend. 

November  23,   Ebenezer    Hemenway,    Dorchester 
Canada,    Elizabeth    Moor,   Dorchester  Canada. 

December    14,    John     Stevens,     Hollis,     N.     H., 
Mary  Boson,  Townsend. 


388  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

1759.  March     15,    Oliver    Heywood,    Townsend,    Anna 

Taylor,  Townsend. 

March     21,     Jeremiah     Ball,     Townsend,     Mary 
Stevens,   Townsend. 

May     24,     Ebenezer    Giles,     Townsend,     Esther 
Baldwin,  Townsend. 

November  6,  John  Wallis,  Jr.,  Townsend,  Martha 
Pudney,   New  Ipswich,  N.  H. 

December  14,  Jason  Russell,    Harvard,    Elizabeth 
Farwell,   Townsend. 

1760.  January  8,  Thomas  Heald,  New  Ipswich,   N.   H., 

Sybel  Adams,  New  Ipswich,  N.  H. 

February  6,  John  Button,   New   Ipswich,   N.    H., 
Susanna  Ball,  Townsend. 

April  22,  Isaac  Wallis,  Townsend,   Jane    Russell, 
Townsend. 

These  are  all  the  marriages  on  record,  performed  by 
Rev.  Mr.  Hemenway.  Twelve  leaves  have  been  cut  out 
of  the  first  book  of  church  records,  apparentlv  with  some 
dull  instrument,  and  in  a  very  rough  manner.  Whether 
these  leaves  contained  marriage  records  is  unknown,  but 
the  presumption  is  that  they  did,  for  the  ministers  of  those 
times  kept  these  records. 

Marriages  performed  by  Rev.  Samuel  Dix  : — 

1761.  March  4,  Richard  Richardson,   Townsend,   Eliza- 

beth Barrett,  Townsend, 

July  13,  David  Holden,  Townsend,  Sarah  Hemen- 
wa}',  Townsend. 

July    22,    Samuel    Sanderson,     Townsend,    Lydia 
Boynton,  Townsend. 

October    20,   Mr.    David   Taylor,    Concord,    Mrs. 
Sarah  Hemenwa}-,  Townsend. 

November    7,   John    Patt,    Townsend,    Bathsheba 
Wood,  Townsend. 


MARRIAGES.  389 

1762.  April    12,    Ephraim    Warren,     Townsend,    Sarah 

Keazer,   Groton. 

August  26,    Timothy  Chandler,  Townsend,    Mary 
Walker,  Pepperell. 

1763.  January  8,  Alexander  Mcintosh,  Milestrip,  N.  H.. 

Mary   Graham,  Townsend. 

February  i6,  Ebenezer  Baldwin,  Townsend,  Mary 
Hubbard,  Townsend. 

October    6,    Benjamin    Ball,     Townsend,    Rachel 
Boynton,  Townsend. 

December  8,  Ebenezer  Albee,   Townsend,   Rachel 
Avery,  Townsend. 

1764.  February     21,     Josiah     Robbins,    No.     i,     Marv 

Campbell,  Townsend. 

April    3,     Stephen     Hildreth,     Westford,     Esther 
Manning,  Townsend. 

May    29,    Samuel    Douglass,    Slip  Town,  N.  H., 
Molly  Conant,  Townsend. 

June  15,   John  Nichols,   Lancaster,    Silence  Stow. 
Townsend. 

December  19,  Levi  Whitney,  Townsend,  Rebecca 
Clark,  Townsend. 

December     19,     William     Barrett,    No.    i.    Sarah 
Robbins,  No.  i. 

1765.  January  28,  Robert  Waugh,  New  Ipswich,  N.  H., 

Elizabeth  White,    Townsend. 

April  12,  Benjamin  Wheeler,   Pepperell,   Hannah 
Davis,  Townsend. 

June  13,    David    Brown,    Groton,    Lydia   Stevens, 
Townsend. 

June     13,     Nathan     Conant,     Townsend,      Betty 
Stevens,   Townsend. 

December    5,    Benjamin     Spaulding,     Townsend, 
Mary  Heald,  Townsend. 

^  December    11,     John     Swallow,     No.     i,     Mollv 
Hall,  No.    I. 


390  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

1765.  December  11,  John  Jetts,    No.  i,    Lois  Lawrence, 

No.   I. 

James  Stevens,  Jr.,  Townsend,   Martha 

Brooks,  New  Ipswich,  N.   H. 

1766.  November   13,    Abraham    Gates,    Townsend,    Su- 

sanna Whittemore,  Dunstable. 

December  25,  John  Graham,  Townsend,  Margaret 
Sloan,  Townsend. 

1767.  December     i,     Benjamin   Jefts,     No.    i,    Martha 

Sloan,  Townsend. 

December  8,    Robert    Campbell,   Jr.,    Townsend, 
Elizabeth  Waugh,  Townsend. 

1768. Abijah  Wyman,  Ashby,  Betty    Stearns, 

Ashby. 

■  Eldad      Spafford,      Townsend,     Lucy 

Spaulding,  Townsend. 

December     22,      Peter      Butterfield,      Townsend, 
Hannah  Butrick,  Townsend. 

"1769.     January  5,    Abijah   Joslin,    Ashburnham,    Keziah 
Farrar,  Townsend. 

January    11,     Lemuel    Patt,    Townsend.    Hannah 
Butterfield,   Townsend. 

February  i,  Joseph    Blood,   Mason,   N.    H.,  Ruth 
Dunster,   Mason,  N.   H. 

February  14,  Joseph  Davis,  Ashby,  Sarah  Camp- 
bell, Townsend. 

June    28,     William     Withington,    Ashby,    Martha 
Locke,  Ashby. 

November — ,  Benjamin  Wilson,  Townsend.  Din;h. 
Baldwin,  Townsend. 

December  19,  David  Baldwin,  Pepperell,  Elizabeth 
Boynton,  Townsend. 

December      21,      James      Campbell,      Townsend. 
Rebeckah  Adams,  Townsend. 

1770.     November   — ,     Thomas      Hubbard,      Townsend, 
Hannah  Conant,  Townsend. 


MARRIAGES.  391 

1771.  May  30,  Edmund  Tarbold,  Mason,  N.   H.,  Mary 

Hildreth,  Townsend. 

July  10,  Jonathan  Robbins,   Chelmsford,  Elizabeth 
Emery,  Townsend. 

August     15,     Johrj     Conant,     Townsend,     Sarah 
Farrar,  Townsend. 

September    17,     Henry    Price,    Esq.,     Townsend, 
Lydia  Randall,  Townsend. 

September  24,   Thomas  Eaton,    Townsend,    Lucy 
Davis,  Townsend. 

October  17,    Seth  Robbins,   Mason,  N.  H..    Sarah 
Scripture,  Mason,  N.  H. 

December  24,   Nathaniel  Bowers,   Jr.,    Pepperell, 
Sarah  Sartell,  Townsend. 

1772.  February     6,     Andrew     Ross,     Mason,     N.     H., 

Rebeckah  Robbins,  Mason,  N.  H. 

February    6,    Joseph     Giles,     Townsend,     Mary 
Whitney,  Townsend. 

February  7,  Jonathan    Darby,    Ashby,    Mahitabel 
Wheeler,  Ashby. 

May     20,     James     Hildreth,     Townsend,     Esther 
Fletcher,  Westtbrd. 

May   21,    Daniel   Adams,    Jr.,    Townsend,    Lvdia 
Taylor,   Townsend. 

July    8,     John    Lawrence,    Mason,    N.    H.,    Lefe 
Holden,   Mason,  N.  H. 

August  20,    Benjamin  Wilson,    Townsend,    Bath- 
sheba  Patts,  Townsend. 

September      10,     Jason      Williams,      Cambridge. 
Abagail  Albee,  Townsend. 

John  Cragin,  Temple.  Sarah  Spaulding. 

Townsend. 

John    Meeds,     Ashby.    Mary    Winship, 

Ashby. 

December     — ,     Aaron      Eaton,      Ashb}',      Marv 
Wheeler,  Ashbv. 


392  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

1773.  January  19,  Jotham  White,  Townsend,  Katherine 

Read,    Townsend. 

February  4,    Nathan  Conant,    Townsend,    Esther 
Emery,  Townsend. 

May    20,     Jacob    Upton,    Ashby,    Mary    Chirke, 
Townsend. 

October  14,  Phineas  Hemenway,  Groton,  Elizabeth 
Taylor,   Groton. 

1774.  February     23,     David     Pierce,     Billerica,     Sarah 

Stevens,  Townsend. 

December  20,  Asa  Heald,    Townsend,    Rebeckah 
Merrill,  Townsend. 

1775.  March    30,    Aaron     Scott,     Townsend,    Elizabeth 

Wallis,  Townsend. 

April  13,  Thaddeus  Smith,  Ashb3s  Saleme   Jones. 

October     — ,     Jonas      Fitch,      Pepperell,      Annie 
Shattuck,  Pepperell. 

November  9,  Joseph  Adams,  ,   Lucy  Blood, 

Pepperell. 

1776.  February   15,    Elijah    Shattuck,    Pepperell,    Olive 

Read,  Pepperell. 

February  15,    Abijah  Mosier,  Pepperell,    Hannah 
Varnum,  Pepperell. 

February    15,     Oliver     Proctor,    Jr..     Townsend, 
Mary  Manning,  Billerica. 

February  29,   Simeon    Blanchard,    New    Ipswich, 
N.  H.,  Elizabeth  Shattuck,  Pepperell. 

James  Nutting,  ,   Hepsibah  Roll", 

Pepperell. 

April    — ,     Abel     Shattuck,     Pepperell,      Hannah 
Hobart,  Groton. 

May  8,  Jedediah  Jewett,  Pepperell.  Rachel  Blood, 

Pepperell. 
July    10,     Eleazer   Buttertield,     Townsend,     Mary 

Brad  street,  Townsend. 

Julv  16,  Abner  Brooks,  Townsend,  Anne  Hobart, 
Townsend. 


MARRIAGES.  393 

1776.  April  3,  Eleazer  Shattuck,  Pepperell,  Mary  Blood. 

Pepperell. 

October  28,  William  Blood,  Townsend,    Abagail 
Holt,  Townsend. 

November  21,  Andrew  Mitchel,  Lunenburg,  Rox- 
anna  McDonald,  Hollis,  N.  H. 

December  3,  Joseph  Cutter,  Jaftrey,  N.  H.,  Rachel 
Hobart,  Pepperell. 

December  19,  Nehemiah  Tarbell,  Groton,  Martha 
Dodge,  Groton. 

1777.  March  — ,  James  Sloan,  Townsend,  Beulah  Wil- 

son, Townsend. 

April  2,  Samuel  Nevers,  Woburn.  Anna  Wyman. 
Townsend. 

April  22,  Thomas  Warren,  Jr.,  Townsend,   Perses 
Heald,  Townsend. 

April    29,   Robert    Ames,   Groton,    Mrs.    Susanna 
Warren,  Groton. 

April   29,    William  Stevens,   Townsend,    Abagail 
Green,  Townsend. 

May  6,  Joseph  Cummings,  Swansea,  N.  H.,  Lucy 
Warren,  Groton. 

May  7,  Josiah  Spaulding,  Westford,  Jemima  Shat- 
tuck, Pepperell. 

May     29,      Joseph     Heald,    Pepperell,     Elizabeth 
Hobart,  Pepperell. 

May  29,  Simon  Green,  Pepperell,  Deborah  Woods. 
Pepperell. 

June  3,   Solomon  Pearse,  Townsend,  Eunice  Far- 
rar,  Townsend. 

June  24,  Phinehas  Astan,  Raby,  N.  H.,  Elizabeth 
Spaulding,  Townsend. 

September     i,     Zachariah     Hildreth,     Townsend, 
Elizabeth  Ke\^es,  Westford. 

September  29,    John    Clark,     Townsend,     Dorcas 
Wyman,  Townsend. 

October    7,     Moses    Warren,    Townsend,    Martha 
Reed,   Townsend. 


394  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

1777.  October  14,  Abel  Parker,  Pepperell,  Ede  Jewett, 

Pepperell. 

November  26,    Ebenezer  Davis,   Rindge,    Mariah 
Whitney,  Pepperell. 

December  24,  Jeremiah  Crosby,  Pepperell,  Eliza- 
beth Gilson,  Pepperell. 

December    25,     Samuel     Cole,     Falmouth,     Mary 
Pearse,  Pepperell. 

December    26,     Jacob    Baldwin,   Jr.,     Townsend, 
Elizabeth  Holt,  Townsend. 

1778.  January  14,    Elijah  Wyman,  Townsend,  Abagail 

Wetherby,  Pepperell. 

February    24,    Samuel   Stone,  Jr.,   Ashby,   Sarah 
Wallis,  Townsend. 

February  26,  David  Baldwin,  Pepperell,  Elizabeth 
"  Blood,  Pepperell. 

March   16,  John  Parker,  ,  Abagail  Blood, 

Pepperell. 

May  7,  Daniel  Spaulding,  Townsend,   Rebeckah 
Osgood,  Raby,  N.  H. 

May    7,     Nathaniel    Sartell,     Pepperell,     Abagail 
Laughton,  Pepperell. 

May    26,    John    Farwell,    Harvard,     Mrs.    Sarah 
Warren,  Townsend. 

July    — ,    Benjamin    Lawrence,  Jr.,    Groton,  Re- 
bekah  Woods,  Groton. 

July    16,      Benjamin     Adams,    Townsend,     Mary 
Stone,  Ashby. 

October    29,     Leonard    Foster,    Pepperell,     Lucv 
Wetherbee,  Pepperell. 

December   7,    Rev.    Nehemiah    Porter,    Ashfield, 
Mrs.  Elizabeth  Newell,  Townsend. 

1779.  January  21,  Benjamin  Hobart,  Groton,  Elizabeth 

Brooks,  Townsend. 

January  28,  Jacob  Blodgett,  Mason,  N.  H.,  Sarah 
Taylor,  Townsend. 

January  29,   Moses  Shattuck,   Pepperell.    x\bigail 
Woods,  Pepperell. 


MARRIAGES.  395 

1779.     February    ii,    Moses    Blood,    Pepperell,     Abigail 
Shattuck,  Pepperell. 

March  4,  Eleazar  Davis,  Townsend,  Martha  Ste- 
vens, Townsend. 

March  4,  Josiah   Davis,   Townsend,    Sarah   Saw- 
tell,  Townsend. 

May  27,  Job   Brooks,    Temple,    Sarah    Hildreth. 
Townsend. 

June    17,  Isaac   Warren,    Groton,    Eunice    Farns- 
worth,  Groton. 

-,  Joseph  Woods,  ,  Mary  Waugh. 


Townsend. 

1780.  March    9,      Henry    Turner,    Townsend,     Abigail 

Scott,  Townsend. 

May  — ,   Benjamin  Brooks,  3d,  Townsend,  Emmy 
Richardson,  Townsend. 

June  — ,  Ephraim  Warren,  3d,  Townsend,  Sarah 
Proctor,  Townsend. 

July    13,    Oliver  Green,   Pepperell,  Dorothy    Hil- 
dreth, Townsend. 

July  13,  Benjamin  Sartell,  Townsend,   Sybil  Patt. 
Townsend. 

November  13,    Levi  Whitney,   Shrewsbury.   Mrs. 
Lydia  Price,  Townsend. 

December    28,   Jonathan    Dix,  Townsend,   Mercy 
Wilson,  Townsend. 

1781.  February  i,  Hinksman  Warren,  Townsend,  Esther 

Taylor,  Townsend. 

February  8,  Daniel  Clark,  Townsend,  Sarah  Rob- 
bins,  Carlisle. 

February     13,    John    Hosley,     Pepperell,      Sarah 
Woods,  Pepperell. 

February  22,  Josiah  Seward,  Raby,  N.  H.,  Sarah 
Osgood,  Raby,  N.  H. 

March  22,  Caleb  Blood,    3d,    Groton,    Hephzibah 
Jewett,  Pepperell. 


39(5  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

1 781.     April    3,   Jonathan    Coneck,     Townsend,     Zervia 
Wheelock,   Townsend. 

June    I,    Dr.    Samuel    Hosley,    Townsend,    Mary 
Farrar,  Townsend. 

June    21,     Elijah     Dodge,     Townsend,     Elizabeth 
Sartell,  Townsend. 

August  23,  Levi  Proctor,    Carlisle,    Sarah   Emery, 
Townsend. 

September     20,      Jonathan      Barron,      Pepperell, 
Rebekah  Powers,  Pepperell. 

October    4,     Israel    Sloan,     Townsend,     Rebekah 
Wilson,  Townsend. 

December    10,     Josiah     Richardson,     Townsend, 
Abigail  Dix,  Townsend. 

December  13,  John   S.    Frary,    Swansay,  N.  H., 
Joanna  Wyman,   Swansay,  N.   H. 

December  13,  Daniel  Holt,  Jr.,   Townsend,   Mary 
Butterfield,  Townsend. 

December     13,      Jonathan      Pearse,      Townsend, 
Hannah  Perham,  Townsend. 

1782.     January   8,    Nehemiah    Blood,    Pepperell.   Abigail 
Sartell,  Townsend. 

January   31,    Isaac    Kidder,    Townsend,    Susanna 
Sherwin,  Townsend. 

March  7,  Zacheus  Witt,   Jaffrey,    N.   H.,  Hannah 
Sartell,  Townsend. 

March  7,  George  Woodward,   Raby.  N.  H.,  Jane 
Wallis,  Raby.  N.  H. 

May  — ,    Elias    Barron,    Concord,    Sarah    Burge, 
Townsend. 

,    John     Sherwin,     Townsend,     Keziah 

Adams,  Townsend. 

May  30,    David  Hall,    Mason,    N.   H.,   Margarett 
Graham,  Townsend. 

June  13,  Seth  Johnson,    Townsend,    Betty  Brown. 
Townsend. 

June    19,     Daniel     Conant.    Townsend.    Millecent 
Farrar,  Townsend. 


MARRIAGES.  397 

1782.  July  2,  Jonas  Campbell,  Townsend,  Ruth  Colburn. 

Townsend. 

July  4,  Daniel  Campbell,  Townsend,  Lucy  Emery, 
Townsend. 

July  25,  James  Withy,  Jr.,  Mason,  N.  H.,    Anna 
Brown,  Mason,  N.   H. 

August  12,  Jacob  Wetherby,  Mason,  N.  H.,  Grace 
Pattin,  Raby,  N.  H. 

November  7,    Benjamin  Barrett,    Mason,    N.    H., 
Hannah  Scripture,   Mason,  N.   H. 

,     Nathaniel     Healy,     Worcester,     Lois 

Maynard,  Townsend. 

,  Enoch  Cummings,    Swanzey,    N.    H.. 

Sarah  Warren,  Townsend. 

December    2,    Asa    Merrill,     Townsend,     Esther 
Warren,    Townsend. 

December  10,   Jonathan   Jefts,    Townsend,    Lydia 
Hosley,  Pepperell. 

,     Samuel     Buttrick,     Townsend,     Mrs. 

Sarah  Richardson,  Townsend. 

1783.  February    12,   Jonathan     Patts,     Jr.,     Townsend, 

Rebeicah  Town,  New  Ipswich,  N.  H. 

March  4,  Isaac  Wallis,   Jr.,    Townsend,  Rebekah 
Farrar,  Townsend. 

April  29,    Abel  Foster,    Townsend,    Mary  Wood. 
Townsend. 

May  I,  John  Wright,  Jr.,  Mason,  N.  H.,  Hannah 
Russell,  Raby,  N.  H. 

May  6,   Joseph  Rumrill,  Jr.,    Townsend,  Abigail 
Lampson,  Townsend. 

September  i,  Jesse  Maynard,  Townsend,  Exercise 
Brown,  Townsend. 

September    8,     Samuel     Scripture,    Jr.,     Mason, 
N.   H.,  Elizabeth  Barrett,  Mason,  N.   H. 

October  i,  Jedediah  Jewett,  Pepperell,  Mrs.   Mary 
Baldwin,   Townsend. 

October    i,     Benjamin     Ball,     Townsend,     Mary 
Farrar,  Townsend. 


81>8  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

1783.  November    25,     Abraham     Gates,     Ashby,    Lucy 

Rumrill,  Townsend. 

November  25,  Nathaniel  Smith,  Jr.,  Mason,  N.  H., 
Mary  Barrett,   Mason,  N.   H. 

December    11,     Josiah     Barnes,     Concord,     Lucy 
Hildreth,  Townsend. 

,   Jonathan     Bailey     Townsend,     Sarah 

Holt,  Townsend. 

December  25,  James  Proctor,  Jr.,  Westtbrd,  Esther 
Wright,  Westford. 

1784.  May  20,  Abner  Adams,  Townsend,  Molly  Sartell, 

Townsend. 

May    20,   John    Stevens,    Jr.,    Townsend,    Sarah 
Waugh,  Townsend. 

June  30,    Daniel   Adams,  Townsend,    Mrs.    Sarah 
Phelps,  Lancaster. 

August    19,   Josiah    Richardson,    Townsend,    Su- 
sanna Wallis,  Townsend. 

September  16,  Daniel  Lawrence,  Townsend,  Lucy 
Roe,  Townsend. 

November  12,  John  Blood,  Pepperell,    Olive   Ball. 
Townsend. 

1785.  February   7,  Joseph   Barrett,   Mason,  N.  H.,  Jane 

Campbell,  Townsend. 

February  22,  Ephraim  Lamson,  Townsend,   Marv 
Stevens,  Townsend. 

May    12,    Amos   Blood,    Pepperell,    Sarah   Blood, 
Pepperell. 

,  Daniel  Brown,  Townsend,   Mary  Ball, 

Townsend. 

October   31,    Samuel    Dix,  Jr.,    Townsend,  Chloe 
Dix,   Reading. 

December  15,  Jonathan  Holt,   Townsend,   Hannah 
Adams,  Townsend. 

December  15,  Joseph  Felt,  Packersfield.  Elizabeth 
Spafford,  Townsend. 


MARRIAGES.  399 

1786.  January     — ,    John    Atwell,   Jr.,    Hollis,    N.    H., 

Rebekah  Lawrence,  . 

,  Jesse  Baldwin,   Townsend,   Chloe  Gas- 
sett,  Townsend. 

February    9,    Samuel    Stevens,    Lancaster,    Mary 
Wallace,  Townsend. 

,    Samuel    Searle,    Townsend,    Hannah 

Butterfield,  Townsend. 

March    4,    Stephen     Warren,     Townsend,     Mary 
Giles,  Townsend. 

June  22,  Elisha  Sanders,  Lunenburg,  Pattv  Duns- 
moor,   Lunenburg. 

June  26,  Ebenezer  Ball,  Jr.,    Townsend,    Hannah 
Smith,  Townsend. 

November    30,     Isaac     Farrar,     Jr.,     Townsend, 
Hannah  Dix,  Townsend. 

December    14,    Edward    Tarble,    Mason.    N.    H., 
Rachel   Hildreth,  Townsend. 

December    20,     Phinehas     Baldwin,      Townsend, 
Sarah  Searl,   Townsend. 

1787.  January  i,  Edward  Richards,    Rockingham,    Vt.. 

Eunice  Locke,  Townsend. 

February    i,    Noah    Hardy,     Packersheld,    Sarah 
Spaffbrd,  Townsend. 

,     Henry    Jefts,     Townsend,     Elizabeth 

Waugh,  Townsend. 

February  7,  William  Weston,  Townsend,  Rebekah 
Ball,  Townsend. 

March    i,    William     Wallace,     Townsend,     Polly 
Price,  Townsend. 

March  15,  John  Giles,  Townsend,  Susey  Baldwin, 
Townsend. 

March    20,     William     Elliott,     Mason,     N.      H., 
Rebekah  Hildreth,  Townsend. 

March  22,  Nathaniel  Shattuck,  Pepperell,  Hannah 
Ball,  Townsend. 


400  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

1787.     June    14,     William     Stacy,     Townsend,     Hannah 
Stevens,   Townsend. 

,  John  Waugh,   Jr.,    Townsend,    Esther 

Spaulding,  Townsend. 

October  4,  Ebenezer  Ball,  Jr.,    Townsend,    Phebe 
Wesson,   Townsend. 

November    8,   James     Sloan,     Townsend,     Molly 
Searl,    Townsend. 

1788. ,     John    Emerson,     Townsend,     Keziah 

Brooks,  Townsend. 

February  5,  James    Pratt,    Halifax,    Sarah    Giles, 
Townsend. 

February    7,    Benjamin     Wallis,     Ashby,     Betsey 
Walker,  Ashby. 

,    Josiah    Bright,    Ashby,    Hepsy    Rice. 

Ashby. 

April    16,     Jesse     Maynard,     Townsend,     Sarah 
Richards,  Townsend. 

April    26,    George    Farrar,     Townsend,    Rebekah 
Price,  Townsend. 

October  30,  Benjamin   Wellington,    Ashbv,    Marv 
Hill,  Ashby. 

November  27,  Jonathan  Pearse,  Townsend,  Esther 
Spaulding,  Townsend. 

November  27,   John    Smith,    Townsend,    Hannah 
Shattuck,  Townsend. 

November    27,     John     Gilson,     Monkton,     Lucy 
Darby,   Ashby. 

December     16,     Joseph     Hey  wood,     Chelmstbrd. 
Susannah  Ball,  Chelmsford. 

1789. .  Asa  Stevens,  Townsend,   Sarah  Hodg- 

man,   Ashby. 

,    Joseph    Pingrey,     Salisbur^■.     N.     H.. 

Sarah  Sanders,  Ashby. 

February    7,    David    Spafford,     Townsend,    Lucy 
Sherwin,   Townsend. 

March  19,  Benjamin  Spaulding,  Townsend,   S\bil 
Wallis,  Townsend. 


MARRIAGES. 


401 


1789.  April  — ,  Asa  Heald,  Townsend,   Jerusha  Carter, 

Townsend. 

May  6,  John  Giles,  Townsend,  Marv  x\danis. 
Raby,  N.   H. 

May  7,  Robert  Searl,  Townsend,  Azubah  Butter- 
field,   Townsend. 

May  14,  Samuel  Brooks,  Townsend,  Sarah 
Phelps,  Townsend. 

,     Elijah     Haughton,      Ashby,     Sarah 

Ballard,  Townsend. 

October  22,  Thomas  Powers,  Holies,  N.  H.,  Mrs. 
Jane    Sloan,  Townsend. 

1790.  February    2,     Jonathan     Taylor,     Heath,     Nancy 

Phelps,  Townsend. 
February    18,    Josiah    Whitney,    Waltham,    Mar\ 

Barrett,   Ashby. 
February    25,    Asa    Whitney,     Townsend,     Mary 

Wallis,  Townsend. 
March  2,    David  Petts,   Townsend,    Nabby  Flagg. 

Townsend. 
April  5,    Moses   Burge,    Townsend,    Betty   Stacy, 

Townsend. 
May  25,  William  Johnson,  ,   Lucy  Barrett. 

Ashby. 
May    25,    Richard    Warner,    Townsend,    Hannah 

Wheeler,  Pepperell. 

June  30,  John  E.  Stone,  Ashby,  Dorcas  Lawrence, 

Ashby. 
October  21, .James  Searl,  Townsend,  Sallv  Patten. 

Raby,  N.  H. 
November  25,  Jabez   Green,    Townsend,    Abigail 

Hildreth,  Townsend. 
November  27,  Samuel  Buttrick,  Weston,   Hannah 

Bemis,  Weston. 
December  23,  William  Stevens,  Townsend,  Rachel 

Ball,  Townsend. 
,    Abel  Green,    Raby,    N.   H.,    Hannah 

Farrar,  Townsend. 


402  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

1791.  February   2,    Rev.  Ebenezer  Hill,    Mason,  N.  H., 

Polly  Boynton, . 

February  3,   Benjamin   Hobart,   Townsend,    Bett\' 
Woods,  Townsend. 

February    17,    Nathaniel   Bailey,  Jr.,    Townsend, 
Molly  Baldwin,  Townsend. 

March    3,    Nathan  Conant,  Jr.,  Townsend,   Mary 
Dix,  Townsend. 

March    10,     Perin    Richards,     Townsend,     Anna 
Wallis,  Townsend. 

March  16,  Levi  Green,  Ashby,  Patty  Earl,  Ashby. 

May    25,  Joseph  Walker,    Ashby,    Ruth  Jenkins, 
Townsend. 

June    13,     Lemuel    Petts,   Jr.,    Townsend,     Milly 
Wood,  Pepperell. 

July  14,  Asa  Walker,  Ashby,  Alice  Clark,  Ashby. 

September  22,    David  Wallace,  Townsend,   Betty 
Richardson,  Townsend. 

October    12,     Abijah    Monn,     Townsend,     Esther 
Giles,  Townsend. 

November  — ,  Hezekiah  Winn,  Chelmsford,  Bath- 
sheba  Ball,  Townsend. 

1792.  January    15,     Oliver    Lawrence,    Ashby,      Mercy 

Worcester,  Ashby. 

January   15,  Joseph  Rumrill,Jr.,  Townsend,   Re- 
bekah  Lamson,  Townsend. 

January  17,  John  Rice,  Ashby,   Rebekah  Barrett, 
Ashby. 

February  14,  Samuel  Jenkins,  Townsend,   Eliza- 
beth Sanders,  Townsend. 

February    16,     Parpoint   Kendall.    Ashby,     Sarah 
Damon,  Ashby. 

Februar}'  23,  John  Conant,  Newton,  Rachel  Giles, 
Townsend. 

February   29,  Archelaus   Adams,  Jr.,   Townsend, 
Elizabeth  Manning,  Townsend. 


MARRIAGES.  40o 

1792.  March    22,    Reuben   Stevens,    Groton,    Thankfull 

Rumrill,  Townsend. 

April    25,     Phinehas    Holden,    Townsend,     Mary 
Craig,  Townsend. 

June    12,    Isaac    Farrar,   Townsend,     Mrs.    Mary 
Dix,  Mason,  N.  H. 

June  28,  Joseph  Adams,  Townsend,  Mary  Brooks, 
Townsend. 

June  28,  Benjamin  Dix,  Townsend,  Polly  Phelps. 
Townsend. 

August  15,  Parker  Weatherbee,  Townsend,  Rhoda 

Adams,  Groton. 
August  30,  Jonathan  Roll,  Ashby,  Phebe  Derby. 

Ashby. 
September   11,  Samuel   Hodgman,  Raby,   N.  H., 

Phene  Lawrence,  Townsend. 

October  10,    David   Lawrence,   Townsend,    Kezia 
Williams,  Raby,  N.  H. 

November  29,  Peter  Nutting,  Mason,   Polly  Bald- 
win, Townsend. 

1793.  February    12,     Lieut.    John    Sharin,     Townsend. 

Eunice  Farwell,  Townsend. 

February    22,    Samuel   Adams,   Townsend,    Katy 

Lawrence,  Townsend. 
February    22,    Josiah    Spaulding,    Norridgewock, 

Me.,  Sybil  Spaulding,  Townsend. 

February    28,    Joseph    Jepson,    Townsend,    Jane 
Graham,  Townsend. 

March  27,  Elisha  Jones,  Ashby,    Persia   Taylor, 

Ashby. 
April  2,  John  Mason,  Townsend,  Phene  Shipley, 

Pepperell. 
May  2,    Azariah    P.    Sherwin.    Townsend,    Sally 

Kidder,  Townsend. 
May    9,      Oliver   Wetherbee,     Townsend,      Sarah 

Stone,  Townsend. 
May  20,  William   Manning,    Townsend,    Hannah 

White,   Townsend. 


404  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

1793.  May    30,    Ebenezer     Hodgman,     Ashby,     Lovisa 

Newton,  Ashby. 

June  27,   John  L.    Hodgman,    Townsend,    Esther 
Baldwin,  Townsend. 

September  5,  Isaac  Giles,  Townsend,  Jane  Wallis. 
Townsend. 

September  19,  Jonathan  Shattuck.    3d,    Pepperell, 
Elizabeth  Giles,  Townsend. 

October    3,     Jonathan     Wallis,     Jr.,     Townsend, 
Abigail  Wyman,  Townsend. 

October  31,  John  Conant,  Jr.,  Townsend,  Rebekah 
Wallis,  Townsend. 

1794.  Januar}'  i,  Phinehas  Bennett.    Ashbv,  Mrs.  Eliza- 

beth Buttrick,   Ashby. 

January    28,    Oliver    Wellington,    Ashby,    Rachel 
March,  Ashby. 

January    28,     Josiah     Gregory,     Ashb}',     Hannah 
Damon,   Ashby. 

January    30,   John     Colburn,     Townsend,     Kezia 
Campbell,  Raby,  N.  H. 

February    4,    Eliab    Going,     Lunenburg,    Abigail 
Warren,   Townsend. 

February  6,  Benjamin  Abbot.  Lansingburg,  N.  Y.. 
Katy  Prat,  Townsend. 

February  6,  Bazaleel   Newton,  Jr.,   Ashbv,    Pattv 
Walker,  Ashby. 

February    6,     Isaac     Walker,     Ashby.     Rebecca 
Wallis,  Ashby. 

July  2,  Peter  Lawrence,  Ashby,  Mary  S.  Spauld- 
ing,   Townsend. 

August  28,  Amos  Whitne}'  Dix,  Townsend.   Sallv 
Proctor,  Townsend. 

October    30,    Jonathan     Sanderson.     Lunenburg. 
Mahitebel  Spaftbrd,  Townsend. 

December   4,   John     Heald,    Jr.,    Shirley,    Moll\- 
Gaschet,  Townsend. 

December   9,    Lawrence  Jelts,     Mason,     N.     H., 
Lvdia  Bovnton,  Townsend. 


MARRIAGES.  405 

1795.  February  17,  Solomon   Jewett,    Pepperell,    Phebe 

Adams,  Townsend. 

April  23,  Silas  Shattuck,  Townsend,  Sally  Bailev, 
Townsend. 

May  28,   Benjamin    Hodgman,  Jr.,    Ashby,   Polly 
Stevens,   Townsend. 

June  30,  Peter  Adams,  Townsend,    Lucy  Gibson, 
Townsend. 

August    6,     Solomon     Stevens,    Jr.,     Townsend, 
Elizabeth  Sanders,  Townsend. 

August  6,  William  Parks,  Townsend,  Polly  Stone, 
Townsend. 

November    19,     Reuben     Davis,     Ashby,   Joanna 
Hildreth,  Townsend. 

November  24,    Boaz  Brown,   Townsend,    Hannah 
Spaulding,  Townsend. 

December  3,  Jonathan   Peny,    Townsend,    Phene 
Hodgman,    Townsend. 

December    10,    Samuel    Fales,    Townsend,    Polly 
McLain,  Townsend. 

1796.  February  18,   Edward   Knight,   Worcester,    Sarah 

Jenkins,  Townsend. 

March  9,  John  Petts,  Townsend,    Nancy  Brooks, 
Townsend. 

April  19,  Bartholemew  Ballard,  Townsend,  Rusha 
Lawrence,  Ashby. 

April    23,    William     Sanders,     Townsend,     Patty 
Stevens,  Townsend. 

May    22,    David     Lock,    Jr.,     Ashby,    Rebekah 
Wesson,   Townsend. 

May  25,  Noah   Ball,  Townsend,   Betsey   Wesson, 
Townsend. 

September  21,   Asa  Walker,  Jr.,    Ashby,   Joanna 
Wesson,  Townsend. 

October    27,    David    Leviston,    Townsend,    Sarah 
Adams,  Ashby. 

November  10,   Abner    Adams,    Townsend,    Sarah 
Sartell,  Townsend. 

52 


4(m;  history  of  townsend. 

1796.  November    22,    Stephen     R.     Ballard,    Plymouth, 

N.   H.,  Betsey  Pollard,   Ashby. 

December    15,   James    Adams,    Townsend,    Sybil 
Gaschett,  Townsend. 

December  22,  Lieut.  Nathan   Conant,   Townsend, 
Mrs.  Hannah  Potter,  Townsend. 

December  29,   Elias   Boutell,    Townsend,    Abigail 
Baldwin,  Pepperell. 

1797.  January    5,     Uzziel     Withee,     Groton,     Elizabeth 

Stevens,   Townsend. 

January    10,    Samuel    Bailey,    Townsend,    Betsev 
Keyes,  Townsend. 

January     26,     Elijah     Wright,      Ashbv,     Levina 
Lawrence,  Ashby. 

February  23,  Lemuel  Shipley,    Townsend,    Phebe 
Jones,  Ashby. 

May  31,  Abel  Gilson,  Miltbrd,  N.  H.,  Sally  Mace, 
Fitchburg. 

June    6,    Abel     Taylor,     Ashby,     Abigail     Rice, 
Ashby. 

August  I,   Benjamin    Spaulding,   Jr.,    Townsend, 
Sybil  Sanders,  Townsend. 

This  closes  the  record'  of  marriages  by  Rev.    Samuel 
Dix,  who  died  the  twelfth  of  the  following  November. 


Marriage  performed  b}-  Rev.  John  Bullard  : — 

1797.      December    20,    Zacheus    Richardson.    Townsend, 
Mary  Ball,  Townsend. 


Marriages  performed  by  Daniel  Adams,  Esq.  : — 

1797.  November  7,  Salome   Sherwin,    Townsend.    Beula 

Seaver,   Townsend. 

1798.  January      2,      Jonathan      Spaulding.      Townsend, 

Hannah  Going,   Lunenburg. 


MARRIAGES.  407 

1798.  February  20,  David  Batchelor,   Townsend,    Sarah 

Adams,  Townsend. 
November     13,     John     Adams,     Townsend,    Jane 
Bartlett,  Townsend. 

1799.  September  18,  Benjamin  Wallace,  Townsend,  Re- 

bekah  Whitney,  Townsend. 

November  24,  James  Simons,  Townsend,   Susanna 
Stevens,  Townsend. 

November  28,  James  Wallace,   Townsend,   Betsey 
Brown,  Townsend. 


"The  church's  book  ot"  Records,"  commencing  1800, 
contains  the  following  marriages,  performed  by  Rev. 
David  Palmer,  and  recorded  by  him.  Where  no  place  of 
residence  of  either  party  is  recorded,  the  presumption  is 
that  they  belonged  to  Townsend.  An  exact  cop}-  of  Mr. 
Palmer's  records  is  here  presented  :  — 

1800.  February  18,  Aaron  Fessenden,  Nancy  Wetherbee. 

February    19,    Hezekiah    Richardson,   Jr.,    Anna 
Farwell,  Mason. 

April  9,  Solomon  Sanders,  Jr.,  Lydia  Sanders. 

April  24,  Levi  Sherwin,   Hannah  Hildreth. 

April  27,  Uriah  Searl,  Nabby  Giles. 

June  26,   Levi  Morse,   Sarah  Davis. 

August  17,    Daniel    Adams,    Leominster,     Nancv 
Mullikin. 

September  16,   Darius  Sherwin,  Lucy  Kimball. 

October    5,    Joseph     Russell.    Carlisle,     Susanna 
Giles. 

November  7,   Levi  Conant,   Eunice  Sanders.  Lun- 
enburg. 

1801.  February  4,   Levi  Richardson,  Eunice  Weston. 

February  22,  John  Fessenden,   Betsey  Fessenden. 
Charlestown. 

March  3,  Samuel  Miller,  Sylvia  Keep. 


408  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

1801.  March  15,  John  Williams,  Brookline,  Lucy  Foster. 
June  7,  Jonathan  Wallis,  Milley  Conant. 
August  9,  Michael  Bonditt,   Reading,  Polly  Dix. 
October  8,  James  Clark,  Packersfield,  Betsey  Dix. 
October  11,   Samuel  Keep,   Sarah  Conant. 
December  3,  Peter  Putnam,  Susanna  Keep. 

1802.  February  14,  Asa  Wallis,   Milley  Conant. 

March  11,  Benjamin  Fessenden,  Levina  Stevens. 

March  22,  Benjamin  Smith,  Woburn,  Sibyl  Tur- 
ner, Townsend. 

April  II,  Isaac  Wallis,  Susanna  Streeter. 

May  27,  Jonathan  Hartwell,  Jr.,  Esther  Warren. 

July  25,  Abner  Bills,   Hannah  Campbell. 

October  14,  Abel  Spaulding,  Luc}^  Perham  Pierce. 

November  11,  Abiel  Baldwin,  Lucy  Gasset. 

November  15,  Stephen  Lovejoy,  Sally  Flint. 

November    25,      George    Wilson,     New    Ipswich, 
Sally    Wallis. 

November  29,  John  King,  Polly  Nutting. 

1803.  January  18,  Jacob  Sawyer,  Anna  Foster. 

February   21,    Luther    Spalding,    Boston,    Betsev 
Flagg. 

March  8,  Peter  Shumway,   Oxford,  Sarah  Spald- 
ing. 

April  28,   Silas  Kerly,  Fitchburg,  Mary  Holt. 

May  19,  Jonas  Farmer,  Jr.,   Hannah  Wright. 

June    — ,     Kendall     Gowing,    Lunenburg,     Polh" 
Flagg. 

October  9,    Putnam  Ha3'wood,    Melinda  Warren. 

October  16,  Thomas  Warren,  Betsey  Conant. 


November     15,     Isaac    Bailey,    JaftVey,     N.    H. 
Susan  Stevens. 


MARRIAGES.  409 

1803.  December  13,  Francis  Butterfield,  Jane  Sanders. 

December  29,  Moses  Spaulding,  Pepperell,   Sally 
Scales. 

1804.  April  4,   Solomon  Griswold,  Eliza  Wallis. 

May  27,  Simeon  Smith,  Boston,  Elizabeth  Kidder. 
September  2,  Robei-t  P.  Wood,   Hannah  Brown. 
October  4,  Abel  Adams,   Hannah  Heald. 
November  4,  Richard  W.  Pierce,  Sarah  Farrar. 

1805.  February  14,   Daniel  Warner,   Ruth  Emery. 

February  21,  Isaac  Spaulding,  Lucy  Emery. 

March  5,  John  demons,  Hannah  Pierce. 

March    7,    Joseph     Shattuck,    Pepperell,     Betsey 
Pierce. 

March  7,  Jonathan  Holt,  Susanna  Jenkins. 

May  27,  Silvanus  Howe,  Charlestown,  Sally  Stone. 

November  4,  Abner  Austin,  Betsey  Jewett. 

December  25,  Abel  Keyes,  Sarah  Bowers. 

1806.  January  27,  John  Pike,  Hannah  Fessenden. 

April  17,   Samuel  Scales,  Lucy  Hildreth. 

May  28,   Samuel  Prentice,  Grafton,   Sally  Searle 
Baldwin. 

November  2,  Samuel  Warner,   Hannah  Wallis. 

1807.  January  26,  William  Davis,  Baltimore,  Vt.,  Phebe 

Sanders. 

February     26,     Jonathan      Kimball,      Waterford, 
Elizabeth  Bowers. 

March  2,  William  Nay,  3d,  Peterborough,  Rebekah 
Foster. 

April    2,   John    Green,    Jr.,     Pepperell,     Fannev 
Hosley. 

September    17,   James    Swan,     Bradford,    N.   H., 
Olive  Conant. 

October    i,    James    Wilder,      Hingham,      Abigail 
Sylvester. 


410  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

1807.  October     15,     Asa     Kendall,     Leominster,    Lydia 

Adams. 

October  29,  Daniel  Tarbox,  Rachel  Stevens. 

November    19,  Samuel    Russell,    Mason,    N.    H., 
Martha  Carter. 

November    26,    Hezekiah     Douglas,     Watertown. 
Elizabeth  Davis. 

1808.  February  16,  Edmund  Bachelder,  Baltimore,  Vt.. 

Rachel  Bartlett. 

March  10,  John  Proctor,   Polly  Hartwell. 

March  13,  Imla  Keep,   Susanna  Sylvester. 

April  II,  Whitney  Farmer,  Nancy  Scales. 

April  19,  John  Bernard,  Rachel  Warren. 

May  25,  David  Hazen,   Groton,  Jane  Turner. 

May  29,  Ebenezer  Fletcher,    New  Ipswich,    Sybil 
Spaulding. 

September  12,  Isaac  Sanders,   Hannah  Sanders. 

September  15,  Jeremiah  Ball,  Elizabeth  Haynes. 

November  6,  James  Adams,  Nancy  Pratt. 

1809.  November  30,    David  Emerson,   Reading,    Selina 

Gasset. 

December  21,  Abraham  Seaver,   Lucv  Lawrence. 
December  21,  Oliver  Reed,   Lettv  Wilson. 
December  26,  Isaac  Turner,   Esther  Spaulding. 

1810.  Januarv  9,  James  Emer^•,  Grafton,  Vt.,    Elizabeth 

Wilder. 

January  18,  George  Flint,  Molly  Sanders. 

January    18,    Jonathan     Pierce,      Lydia     Conant, 
Pepperell. 

March  29,  Stephen  Scales,  Patty  Hildreth. 

June    14,     James     Jaquith,     Wilmington,     Sarah 
Blodget. 

July  15,  Nathan  Farrar,  Betsey  Bartlett. 

September  2,   Joel  White,   Hannah  Davis. 

October  21,  Zacheriah  Hildreth,    Hannah  Sawtell. 


MARRIAGES.  411 

iSii.     January    14,    Austin,     Mason,     Rebekah 

Farmer. 

February  — ,  Joel  Prentice,  Lucy  Scales. 

February    — ,     David     Putnam,     Boston,     Orpha 
Scales. 

April  15,  Solomon  Fessenden,   Hannah  Flagg. 

July  — ,  Benjamin  Brooks,  Betsey  Wallis. 

September  5,  Asa  Wyman,   Sally  Searl. 

November  21,  Isaac  Kidder,   Luc}'  Pratt. 

November     21,     Luther     Gilbert,    Acton,     Esther 
Waugh. 

December  17.  John  Emery,  Jr.,  Patty  Stone. 

181 2.  January  — ,  John  Flint,   Betsey  Sanders. 

May  7,  James  Sanders,  Jr.,    Mary  Sanders. 

July  28,  Benj.  Reed,  Boston,  Nancy  Kidder. 

August  27,  John  Campbell,   Dolly  Baldwin. 

September,  17,  James  French,  Jr.,  Wilton,  N.  H.. 
PoUey  Whitney. 

October  i,  Abel  Hosley,  Hannah  Warner. 

November  26,  Jacob  Sanders,  Jr.,  Salina  Gassett. 

1813.  April  22,  Jeptha  Wright,  Brookline,  Policy  Hosley. 

May  II,  Joel  Con  ant,  Boston,  Charlotte  Warren. 

May  II,  Samuel  Searl,  Jr.,  Betsey  Tarbell. 

September  30,  Daniel  Giles,   Betsey  Stone. 

September  30,  Samuel  Whitney,  Policy  Wallace. 

November   25,  Jacob   Cowdrev,    Ashbv,    Hannah 
Blood. 

1814.  January  19,  Rogers  Weston,  Mason,   Polly  Winn. 
February  9,  Thaddeus  Morse,  Polly  White. 
March  i,  Walter    Hastings,    Esq.,  Roxanna  War- 
ren. 

April    22,  John    Sanders,  Isabel  Roberts,  Ashby. 
May  25,  Simon  Bruce,  Mary  Lawrence. 
May  25,  Ezra  Lee,  Amherst,   Polly  Sartell. 


412  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

1814.  June  I,  Robert  Campbell,  Polly  Dix. 

June  9,  Phinehas  Austin,  Ruth  Baldwin. 

June  — ,  Solomon  Green,  Emily  Potter. 

December  i,  John  Scales,  Nancy  Emery. 

December    4,     Simeon     Green,      Nancy     Eaton, 
Lunenburg. 

December  13,  Doct.  Josiah  Richardson,  Pepperell, 
Betsey  Stone. 

December  22,  Qiiince}^  Sylvester,   Sally  Wallis. 

1815.  Januar}^    22,     George     Green,     Pepperell,     Polly 

Baldwin. 

February  16,  Levi    iVdams,    Leominster,    Hannah 
Adams. 

March  2,  Reuben  Flagg,  Hollis,  Abigail  Emerson. 

March    29,   Josiah    Saw^tell,    3d,     Rebekah    Man- 
ning. 

April  18,  John  Warner,  Lovia  Conant. 

May  4,  William  Pratt,  Sibyl  Stone. 

June  29,  Lewis  Stiles,  Betsey  Hartwell. 

July  9,  Frederick    Reed,    Peterborough,    Hannah 
H.  Lewis. 

December  7,  Martin  Bartlett,  Elima  Grayham. 

December  15,  Phinehas  P.  Dix,  Clarrissa  Rand, 

1816.  January    i,    John     Kinsman,     Fitchburg,     Nancy 

Sherwin. 

January  11,  Levi  Piper,   Baltimore,    Vt.,    Mariam 
Bartlett. 

March  II,  Josiah  D.  Stiles,    Leominster,    Hannah 
Bowers. 

March     12,     David     Lawrence,     i\shby,     Betsey 
Kendall,  Ashby. 

March    12,    Stephen    Kendall,    Ashby,    Lydia  C. 
Burr,    Ashby. 

April     II,    Jabez    Law^rence,     Ashby,    Elizabeth 
Piper,  Ashby. 


MARRIAGES.  413 

1816.  April     23,     Daniel     Shattuck,     Concord,     Sarah 

Edwards,  Ashby. 

May    2,     Isaac     Preston,     New    Ipswich,     Sarah 
Sawtell,  3d. 

May  6,  Eleazer  Rice,  Rebekah  Johnson. 

May  19,  John  Currier,  Susan  Foster,  Ashby. 

May  26,  Thomas  Ingalls,  Rindge,  Polly  Stone. 

June    4,    Nathaniel    Cummings,     Anna     Fletcher, 
Dunstable. 

June  II,  Cushing  Wilder,  Nancy  Spaulding. 

October  24,  William  Wesson,  Jr.,    Dolly   Hodge- 
man. 

October    31,    Ezekiel    Wellington,  Ashby,    Susan 
Haskell,  Ashby. 

November    7,    Daniel     Tuttle,     Ashby,    Rebecca 
Burr,  Ashby. 

November    12,     Stephen     Marble,     Ashburnham, 
Polly  Flint,  Ashby. 

December  5,  Isaac  Foster,  Cinthia  Barrett,  Ashby. 

December  8,  Jonas  Webber,  Mason,  N.  H.,  Sarah 
White. 

December   15,    Samuel    Merriam,   Mason,  N.  H., 
Luc}'  Davis. 

December  19,  William  Farr,   Lucv  Puffer,  Ashby. 

December     28,     Otis     Moore,     Harvard,     Sukey 
Baldwin. 

December  31,  Eben^'.  Jewett,  Jr.,   Hollis,   N.    H., 
Elizabeth  Walker. 

1817.  January    16,    Charles    Cutler,    Prudence    Holden, 

Ashby. 

January     21,     Thaddeus     D.     Prentice,     Goshen, 
N.   H.,  Cynthia    Manning. 

March     6,     Josiah    Foster,     Lucinda    Hodgeman, 
Ashby. 

March    16,    Wyman     Parker,     Millbury,    Achsah 
Gutterson. 


53 


414  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

1817.  March  20,  Isaac  Patch,  Abigail  Flint. 
March  23,  Levi  Warren,  Lydia  Wright. 
May  25,  Josiah  Spaulding,  Fanny  Hildreth. 

July  17,  Oliver  Wheeler,  Boston,    Mar}^  Whitne}', 

Ashby. 

August  26,    Francis    S.    Bacon,    Ashb3^    Melinda 
Kendall,    Ashby. 

October    5,    Samuel    Wheeler,    Stoneham,  Betsey 
Foster. 

October  21,  Stephen  H.  Fletcher,  Wilton,  N.  H., 
Sally  Foster. 

December  2,  Josiah  Wilder,    Ashby,    Susan  "Flint, 
Ashby. 

December  16,  Samuel   Brooks,  Sally  Campbell. 

December    25,    Marshall    Atherton,    Shirley,    Sa- 
phronia  Shattuck. 

1818.  January  28,  Abner  Bills,  Betsey  Cummings. 

March  29,  John  Davis,   Olive  Wadsworth. 

April  16,  Samuel  Manning,  Margaret  Craige. 

April  23,  Samuel  Haynes,  Sibyl  Stone. 

May  7,  Bemsley  Lord,  Rebecca  Conant. 

May  19,  Thomas  Ingalls,  Rindge,  N.  H.,  Betsey 
Richardson. 

May    27,     Jonathan    Henry,     Lunenburg,     Mar\- 
Gutterson. 

June  25,  Abner  Proctor,  Betsey  Davis. 

June    25,    William     Turner,    Ludlow,    Vt.,    Sally 

Going. 
August  19,  Joshua  Richardson,  Polly  Richardson. 
September  17,  Elnathan  Davis,  Poll}'  Adams. 
October  10,   Buckley  Hodgeman,  Betsey  Pratt. 
November  12,  John  Adams,  Groton,   Sally  Searle. 
November    26,    Aaron    Upton,    Reading,    Abigail 

Damon,  Ashby. 
December  3,  John  W.  Bancroft,  Betsey  Adams. 


MARRIAGES.  415 

1819.  Januar}^     13,     Elijah     Childs,     Upton,     Elizabeth 

Jenkins. 

February  3,  Bolter  Colson,  Sharon,  N.    H.,    Polly 
Spaulding. 

April  27,   Abijah  Severance,    N.  Ipswich,  N.  H., 
Hannah  Searle. 

May  13,  Stephen  Austin,  Sally  Spaulding. 

May  20,  Robert  Jefts,  Sally  Green. 

June  3,  Jacob  Blake,  Savoy,  Martha  Edwards. 

June  27,  Joel  Emer3%  Mary  Sylvester.  * 

October  28,    Benjamin    Blaney,    Hepzibah    Davis, 
Shirley. 

November  11,  Hawly  Hale,   Flint,  Ashby. 

November  30,  Jonathan  Hubbard,  Abigail  Taylor. 

December    2,     Paul     Ha3'ward,     Ashby,    Betsev 
Taylor,  Ashby. 

December  14,  Ebenezer  Barrett,  Mary  Fuller. 

December  19,  Joseph  Simonds,  Brookline,  N.  H., 
Betsey  Tarbell. 

1820.  Januarv    9,    Sam'.   Richardson,     Dublin,    N.    H., 

Polly  Kidder. 

January  18,  Edward  Smith,  Lunenburg,  Mehitabel 
Richardson,   Ashby. 

January    26,    James    Wilder,    Sterling,    Arethusa 
Manning. 

March     16,     Walker    Gassett,    Pepperell,    Betsey 
Hall. 

March    23,   John     Withington,    Mason,     N.      H., 
Hannah  Spaulding. 

March     30,     Samuel    Jenkins,    Jr.,     Harriett    L. 
Conant. 

x\pril  9,  Peter  Stevens,   Hannah  R.  Shipley. 

April  23,  Joseph  Proctor,  Mitty  Bartlett. 

May  9,  John  Hodgeman,  Sarah  Wesson. 

October  i,  Samuel  Graham,  Jr.,  Ascenath  Adams. 


4 


41(5  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

1820.  October    12,    Joseph     Estabrook,     New     Ipswich, 

Abigail  Lawrence,  Ashby. 

November     23,     Levi     Kendall,     Lucv    Kendall, 
Ashby. 

November   23,    Eri   Lewis,  Mason,  N.  H.,   Roxey 
Going. 

December  28,  David  Wood,  3d,  Lunenburg,  Polly 
Sherwin. 

1821.  January  23,  Peter  S.  Sloan,  Nancy  Hill. 

February    6,    Oliver    Laughton,    Shirley,    Rachel 
Gilson. 

February    15,   James  Lancey,   Brookline,    N.  H., 
Azubah  Shattuck. 

March  20,  John  Howard,  Ashby,  Eliza  Spaulding. 

March     29,     Daniel     Warner,      Betsey     Hosley, 
Pepperell. 

April  19,  Joseph  Adams,  Martha  Buttertield. 

May    31,    Sylvester     Hildreth,     Westford,     Marv 
Hildreth. 

July  26,  Jonathan  Pierce,  Molly  Bacheler,  Shirley. 

August  28,  Jonathan  Divol,  Tamson  Farrow. 

September     21,     William     Going,      Charlestown, 

Nancy  Flagg. 
September  21,  Isaac  Beard,  Betsey  Spaulding. 

October    15,    George    Hartwell,     Mason,    N.    H., 
Sally  Whitney. 

October  24,  Joseph  H.  Hildreth,  Louisa  Conant. 

November  8,  Cephas  Manning,   Huldah  Green. 

December  6,  Joel  Searle,   Sally  Gleason,   Shirley. 

December  6,  Warren  Foster,   Sally  Searle. 

December  16,  Nathan  Powers,    Rhoda   C.    Butter- 
field,  Pepperell. 

December  20,  Joseph  Simonds,    Bethiah   Spauld- 
ing. 

December  27,  Asa  Sanders,  Patty  Bailey. 


MARRIAGES.  417 

1822.  February  7,    Doct.    Nehemiah  Cutter,    Pepperell, 

Mary  Parker,  Pepperell. 

March  19,  Clough  R.  Miles,  Abbv  Willard,  Shir- 
ley. 

March  26,  Phinehas  Page,  Rindge,  N.  H.,    Mary 
Spaulding. 

April  II,  Leonard  Whitney,    Sibyl   Newell,   Pep- 
perell. 

April  14,   Eben*'.  Stone,   Eluthea  Hayward. 

May  2,  Benj".  Spaulding,  Jr.,  Betsey  Searle. 

May   28,    Walter  Carleton,   Lunenburg,   Lucinda 
Barrett. 

May  30,  Marshall  Lewis,  Sail}'  Adams. 

August  20,  Luther  Adams,   Sally  Rand. 

August  22,  Asa  Hodgeman,   Sally  Jenkins. 

August   29,    Doct.    Ptolemy    Edson,  Chester,  Vt., 
Susanna  Pratt. 

October  23,  James  Kidder,  Eunice  L.  Williams. 

1823.  March  18,  Capt.  Josiah  Sawtell,  Rindge.  N.  H.. 

Sibyl  Stone. 

April  17,  Abel  Keyes,   Rebekah  Weston. 
April  17,  Levi  Blood,  Pepperell,  Hannah  Sawtell. 
May  I,  George  Rockwood,  Annah  B.  Stickney. 
May  4,  Ralph  Warren,  Betsey  Sherwin. 
May  27,  William  Manning,  Jr.,  Mary  Craige. 
May  27,  Wallis  Little,  Martha  Hammond,  Shirley. 
June  15,   Daniel  Bolles,  Clarissa  Warren. 
July  6,  Samuel  Howard,  Harriett  Ha3^wood. 

1824.  January  29,  Jotham  Bartlett,   Sarah  Wilder. 
March  15,  William  Mead,   Martha  Gilson. 
March  23,  Bolter  Colston,  Sabria  Shattuck. 
March  23,  Asa  Graham,   Mitty  Adams. 
March  31,  Joel  Manning,   Nancy  P.  Verder. 
April  15,  Levi  Flagg,  Jr.,  Lunenburg,  Olive  East- 


41.S  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

1824.  April  22,  Peter  Manning,  Sally  Stone. 

April  22,  Ephraim  Hodgeman,  Mason,  Sibyl  San- 
ders- 
April  29,  Capt.  William  Park,  Lydia  Trull. 
May  9,  Amos  Eaton,  Ashby,  Abigail  Sherwin. 

May    27,     Jonathan    Warren,     Mason,     Rebekah 
Beard. 

June    10,     William   Zwiers,   Louisa  Zwiers,    Lan- 
caster. 

June  30,  Chas.  H.  Peabody,  Pepperell,  Grace  S. 
Ide,  Newfane,  Vt. 

October  5,  Ezra  Emery,  Sally  Warner. 

October  7,  Benjamin  Spaulding,  3d,  Eliza  Evans. 

October    14,     George    Shed,    Pepperell,     Abigail 
Stickney. 

November  10,  Benj.  Dix,  Jr.,  Mehitable  Smith. 

December     14,     Charles     Gilchrist,     Lunenburg, 
Isabel  Craige. 

1825.  January  12,  Zela  Bartlett,  Abigail  Boutelle. 

February  23,  Jonathan  W3'the,  Jr.,  Betsey  Holt. 

April  20,  Wm.    D.   Kidder,   Chelmsford,  Caroline 
Shipley. 

June  12,  Jonathan  P.  Bailey,   Mary  Clark. 

July  3,  Emerson  Hardy,  Concord,   Louisa  Barrett. 

October  27,  Luke  Holt,  Dracut,  Lucia  Palmer. 

November    12,    Thos.    Bailey,    Cambridge,    Eliza 
Boutelle,  Boston. 

November    24,     Nathaniel    Whiting,     Lunenburg, 
Mary  Adams. 

December  11,    Isaac    Manning,    Rosellana    With- 
erell,  Brookline. 

1826.  January  26,  David  Lane,  Jr.,   Bedford,  Betsey  B. 

Simonds. 

February    21,     Ezra     Baker,     Marlboro,     N.    H., 
Caroline  Adams. 

March     28,      John      McRoberts,      Ashby,     Mary 
Sanders. 


MARRIAGES.  419 

)26.     May  31,   Capt,  Sam^    Scripture,   Nelson,    N.    H., 
Rebekah  Conant. 

June  I,  Stephen  Burnham,  Wilton,    N.    H.,    Mary 
Rock  wood. 

June  15,  Zimri  Sherwin,  Susan  Sawtell. 

August  3,  Daniel  Prentice,  Sibyl  Smith. 

September  3,  Colburn  Green,    Brookline,   N.    H., 
Sarah  Colson. 

October  3,  Samuel  Bailey,  Mary  Hart. 

October  5,  Levi  Stearns,  Direxa   Jewett. 

October  26,  Phillip  Farnsworth,  Brookline,  N.  H.. 
Abigail   Dix. 

November  2,  Benjamin  Adams,  Abigail  Going. 

December  21,  John  Whitcomb,  Abigail  Richard- 
son. 

527.     January  4,  Edward  G.  Darby,  Laura  Sherwin. 

February    22,     Edward    G.    Adams,     Lunenburg, 
Patty  S.  Spaulding. 

February  22,  Aaron  Swett,  Salisbury,   Lydia  But- 
ters. 

February    25,     Nathan    Whitney,     Bolton,     Eliza 
Stev'ens. 

March  8,  Daniel  Dix,  Jr.,  Eunice  Gilson. 

April  8,  Elisha  D.  Barber,  Sherburne,  Sarah  Dix. 

May  I,   Doct.  Right  Cummings,  Lancaster,  Mary 
Lawrence. 

May  29,  Lancy,  Brookline,  N.  H., 

Going,  Lunenburg. 

May  31,  Daniel  Giles,   Hannah  Hart. 

June   14,    Chas.    Johnson,    Southborough,     Elvira 
Locke. 

August   9,    John    Snow,     Charlestown,      Hannah 
Marshall,  Lunenburg. 

October  — ,    Royal   Russell,  Bedford,    Roxey  B. 
Sloan. 

November  — ,  Samuel  J.   Cook,  Lunenburg,   Syl- 
via Spaulding. 


420  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

1827.  December  16,  Seth  Stevens,  Keziah  Davis. 

December  18,  Calvin  B.  Hartwell,  Shirley,   Susan 
Hammond,  Shirley. 

December  30,  Capt.  Eben''.  Rawson,  Boston,  Leah 
Davis. 

1828.  February   27,     Levi   Simonds,    Fitchburg,    Lydia 

Putnam,  Fitchburg. 

April  I,  Joseph  Warner,  Rebekah  Page,  Shirley. 

April  3,    Jesse  Sanderson,   Charlestown,    Manila 
Turner. 

April  10,  Jonathan  Spaulding,  Mary  Warner. 

April  15,   Joel   Spaulding,    Jr.,     Mary    P.    Cook, 
Lunenburg. 

April  23,  Benjamin  Wallis,   Susan  Spaulding. 

April    24,     Capt.    Jeptha     Cumings,     Dunstable, 
Asenath  Warren. 

May    7,     John    Whitcomb,     Leominster,      Betsey 
Warner. 

May  II,  John  Hildreth,   Sarah  Jepson. 

May  28,  Benjamin  Smith,   Ruth  Blood. 

June  26,  Solomon  Jewett,  Jr.,  Melinda  Ball. 

September  16,  Richard  Warner,  Olive  Swan. 

October  5,  John  Pierce,  Charlestown,  Jane  Sander- 
son, Lunenburg. 

October  9,  Asher  Peabody,  Mason,    N.  H.,   Susan 
A.   Amsden. 

October   9,    Benj.    F.   Jewett,    Pepperell,    Martha 
Warner. 

October  27,  John  Preston,  Elizabeth  S.  French. 

December  25,   Asa    Messer,  Lunenburg,    Hannah 
Dodge. 

1829.  April    15,    Parker    D.    Lane,  Lowell,   /Abigail   E. 

Hodgman,  Lowell. 

April    23,    Thos.    E.     Daniels,     Worcester,    Lucy 
Sherwin,  Fitchburg. 

May  28,  Eli  Baldwin,  Polly  Spaulding. 


MARRIAGES.  421 

1829.  June  2,  Jonathan  Wythe,  Emma  Kemp. 
July  21,  Horace  Fessenden,  Betsey  Searle. 
July  26,  Daniel  Shattuck,  Lucinda  Wetherby. 
December  lo,  Aaron  Manning,  Lois  Fessenden. 
December  29,  William  Johnson,  Abigail  Flagg. 

1830.  January  28,  Samuel  Joslyn,  Nancy  Stone. 

March  2,  Levi  Simonds,  Fitchburg,  Eliza  Putnam. 

March  4,  Asa  Mars,  Brookline,  Sally  Foster. 

April  8,  John   E.  Lake,    Rindge,    N.    H.,   Mary 
Ann  Sawtell. 

April  13,  Joseph  Whitney,  Bolton,   Eliza  Sanders. 

April  29,  M.  T.  Jones,  Lunenburg,  Ann  F.  Snow, 
Lunenburg. 

May  13,  Calvin  Boutelle,  Thirza  Pierce. 

May  20,  Edwin  Smith,    GofFstown,    N.    H.,    Sibvl 
Wallis. 

May    30,    William    Spaulding,    Pepperell,    Mary 
Tarbell. 

June  3,  John  Spaulding,  Eliza  Spaulding,  Shirley. 

July  II,  Benjamin  Hodgeman,  Jr.,  Mar}'  Gilson. 

September  16,  Noah  Ball,  Jr.,  Huldah  Tenney. 

September    26,     Andrew     Shattuck,     Lunenburg, 
Rebekah  Green. 

October    14,    Luther    Boutelle,     Groton,    Hannah 
Conant. 

October  14,  Silas  Withington,  Sarah  Nutting. 

November  4,  Samuel  Warner,  Sally  Lewis. 


Marriage  performed  by  Rev.  William  M.  Rogers  : — 
1 83 1.     October  2,  Abram  S.  French,  Lois  P.  Richardson. 


422  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

Marriages  of  Townsend  people  found  in  the  records 
of  the  town  of  Groton  : — 


1731-2.     January    5,    Shadrack    Whitney,    North  Town, 
Prudence  Lawrence. 

1732.     April    4,   James     Hosley,     North     Town,    Eunice 
Jewett. 

April    25,    John    Albee,     North    Town,     Abigail 
Searle,  North  Town. 
1742.     December     9,    William     Richardson,     Townsend, 
Mary  Hobart. 

1747.     April     2,     William    Wallis,     Townsend,     Eunice 
Nutting. 

1752.  January  22,  Benj.  Brooks,   Jr.,   Townsend,    Eliza- 

beth Green. 

1753.  December   17,  James  Lock,  Jr.,  Townsend,   Han- 

nah Farnsworth. 

1755.     April    16,     John     Stevens,     Townsend,    .Susanna 
Tarbell. 
May  29,  Jonas  Sawtelle,    Elizabeth  Albee,  Town- 
send. 

1759.  January    2,     Jonas     Baldwin,     Townsend,     Ruth 

Wilson. 
January  10,  Solomon  Stevens,  Townsend,  Hannah 
Tarbell. 

1760.  March     19,      Jonathan      Spaulding,      Townsend, 

Elizabeth  Sawtell. 

1763.     December  8,   James    Giles,    Townsend,    Elizabeth 

Green. 
1765.     May     15,      Josiah      Stevens,     Townsend,     Mary 

Lawrence. 

1 77 1.     June     4,      Reuben    Tucker,     Townsend,     Relief 
Farnsworth. 


Marriages  of  Townsend  people,  performed  at  Mason, 
New    Hampshire,   by   Rev.    Ebenezer    Hill.      Where   the 


MARRIAGES.  423 

name  of  the  town  is  not  given  the  presumption  is  that  the 
person  belonged  to  Mason  : — 

1791.     March    17,  Jonas  Baldwin,  Jr.,    Townsend,    Pru- 
dence Haven. 

1796.     June     24,     Edward      Taylor,     Townsend,     Sally 
Brooks. 

October  27,    Stephen    Withington,    Polly    Austin, 
Townsend. 

1798.  February  17,   Pearly  Sanders,   Townsend,    Sarah 

Todd,  Townsend. 

1799.  February  12,  Jonathan  Blood,    Townsend,    Rachel 

Squire,  Townsend. 

1800.  July      I,      Aaron      Warren,      Townsend,      Sally 

Wheeler. 

1801.  November  10,  John  Withington,    Sail}'  Spaulding, 

Townsend. 

1809.  December     21,     Samuel    Stone,    Jr.,    Townsend, 

Lucy  Wheeler. 

1810.  December    13,   Jesse    Seaver,    Townsend,    Betsey 

Warren. 

1818.     April    19,    Pearly    Sanders,     Townsend,    Hannah 
Robbins. 

1820.  December  26,  Caleb  Bucknam,  Townsend,  Louisa 

Brooks  Snow. 

182 1.  November   18,  Jonas    Brown,     Townsend,    Phebe 

Winship. 

1822.  November   28,     John   Jenkins,    Townsend,    Loisa 

Brown. 

1823.  December  21,  Joseph  Merriam,  2d,  Nancy  Davis, 

Townsend. 

1825.     January  13,  Jesse  Sanders,  Townsend,  Mary  Ann 
Kemp. 

1827.  July  5,  Daniel  Bills,  Townsend,  Lucretia  Tucker, 

Townsend. 

1828.  May     9,     Josiah     Sawtell,     Townsend,    Rebecca 

Barber. 


424  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

1829.     October     29,     Ebenezer    Hodgeman,     Townsend, 
Mary  Ann  Blood. 

1832.  April  10,  Stow   A.   Verder,  Townsend,   Eliza   D. 

Douglass. 

1833.  March   12,    Amos    Herrick,    Mrs.    Mary    Barrett. 

Townsend. 

May  14,  Jonas  Farmer,  Tow^nsend,  Gratia  Grant. 

December     19,     Eliab     Going,     Jr.,     Townsend, 
Hannah  Warren. 

1835.     December  10,  Capt.  Eliab  Going,  Townsend,  Mrs. 
Dorcas  Humphries. 

Marriage    performed    by    Rev.    Joseph    B.    Hill,     of 
Mason  : — 

1843.     April  26,  Abel  F.  Adams,   Townsend,    Lydia   M. 
Newhall. 


The  following  catalogue  of  marriages  was  received 
and  recorded  by  Daniel  Adams,  town  clerk  of  Townsend, 
agreeably  to  the  act  of  1857,  chapter  84,  section  4  : — 

Marriages  performed  by  Rev.  Daniel  Chaplin  : — 

1798.     Andrew  Dodge,  Groton,  Sally  Bowers,  Townsend. 
1798.     James  Giles,  Jr.,  Townsend,  Nabby  Fitch,  Groton. 

Marriage  performed  by  Rev.  N.  Webb  : — 

1 77 1.     Ezra    Holbrook,     Townsend,     Mehitabel     Tyler, 
Uxbridge. 

Marriages  performed  by  Ebenezer  Bridge  : — 

1745.     Noah  Emery,  Townsend,  Mary  Barrett,  Townsend. 

1756.      Daniel   Taylor,  Townsend,  Lydia  Burge,  Town- 
send. 

1764.     Benj.  Spaulding,  Townsend,  Patty  Barrett,  Town- 
send. 


MARRIAGES.  425 

Marriage  performed  by  James  Prescott,  Esq.  : — 

1742.    Joseph  Herrick,  Townsend,  Lois  Cutler, Townsend. 

Marriages  performed  by  Rev.  Willard  Hall  : — 

1753.     Ebenezer    Ball,    Townsend,  Rebecca  Butterfield, 
Westford. 

1759.     Eleazer  Taylor,  Townsend,    Sarah   Keves,  West- 
ford. 

1766.     James  Barrett,  Townsend,  Mary  Fletcher,  West- 
ford. 

Marriages  performed  by  Rev.   Matthew  Scribner  : — 

1780.  Isaac    Green,    Townsend,     Abigail    Chamberlain, 

Westford. 

1781.  Josiah    Burge,   Jr.,    Townsend,    Precilla    Barnes, 

Westford. 

Marriage  pertbrmed  by  Isaac  Wright,  Esq.  : — 

1786.     Abram    Ball,     Townsend,     Deliverance    Perham. 
Westford. 

Marriages  performed  by (name  not  given). 

1766.     Hezekiah  Richardson,  Townsend,  Elizabeth  Howe, 
Woburn. 

1769.     John  Waugh,  Townsend,  Mary  White,  Littleton. 

1757.     Oliver  Farnsworth,  Townsend,  Jemima  Haywood, 
Dunstable. 

1769.     Abram  Clark,  Townsend,  Olive  Taylor,  Dunstable. 
Marriage  performed  by  Rev.  William  Lawrence  : — 

1769.     Edward  Farwell,  Townsend,  Rachel  Allen,  Lin- 
coln. 

Marriage  performed  by  Rev.  Ebenezer  Sparhawk  : — 

1785.     Bazaleel  Spaulding,  Townsend,   Hannah  Barrett, 
Templeton. 


420  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

Marriages  performed  by  Rev.  David  Stearns  : — 

1750.     Archabald  White,  Townsend,  Margaret  McClure, 
Lunenburg. 

1760.     Thomas    Gary,     Lunenburg,     Elizabeth    Farwell, 
Townsend. 

1769.     Amos  Heald,   Townsend,    Betsey    Davis,    Lunen- 
burg. 

Marriage  performed  by  Thomas  Prentice,  Esq.  : — 

1747.     Gustavus    Swan,     Lunenburg,     Isabella     Wilson, 
Townsend. 

Marriages  performed  by  Rev.  Zabdiel  Adams  : — 

1795.     Aaron  Keyes,  Townsend,  Sally  Kimball. 

1789.     Abel  Keyes,  Townsend,  Sally  Bailey,  Lunenburg. 

1791.     Jonathan  Messer,  Jr.,  Lunenburg,   Betsey  Brown, 
Townsend. 

Marriage  performed  by  Rev.  Jonathan  Townsend  : — 

1766.     William     Parkman,     Townsend,    Lydia     Adams, 
Medfield. 

Marriages  performed  by  Rev.  Samuel  Ruggles  : — 

1740.     September  30,    Hezekiah   Richardson,  Townsend, 
Elizabeth  Walker,  Billerica. 

1739.     James     Stevens,     Townsend,     Mary    Richardson, 
Billerica. 

1745.     Ebenezer    Wyman,  Townsend,    Dorcas    Willson, 
Billerica. 

Marriage  performed  by  John  Chandler  : — 

1760.     Jacob     Baldwin,     Townsend,     Elizabeth     Lewis, 
Billerica. 

Marriage  performed  by  Ebenezer  Crafts,  Esq.  : — 

1781.     Jeshurum    Walker,   Townsend,    Lydia    Holbrook, 
Sturbridge. 


MARRIAGES.  427 

Marriage  performed  by  Francis  Gardner  : — 

1798.     Samuel  Jenkins,  Townsend,   Rebecca  Tainter. 

Marriages  performed  by  Rev.  Joseph  Emerson  : — 

1753.     George    Campbell,    Townsend,      Mary    Wheeler, 
Groton. 

John  Wallis,  Jr.,  Townsend,  Mary  White,  Groton. 

1755.     Joseph  Butterfield,    Townsend,    Susanna  Adams, 
Pepperell. 

Jonathan  Wallis,  Townsend,  Mary  Barstow,   Hol- 
lis. 
1758.     James  Hosley,  Townsend,  Sarah  Shedd,  Pepperell. 

1760.  James  Conick,  Betsey  Campbell,  Townsend. 

1761.  William  Warren,  Pepperell,  Sarah  Stevens,  Town- 

send. 

Marriages  performed  by  Rev.  John  Bullard  : — 

1781.     Eben  Ball,  Townsend,  Sarah  Shattuck,  Pepperell. 

1786.  Edmund  Blood,    Pepperell,    Lucy  Taylor,    Town- 

send. 

1787.  Uziah  Wyman,  Townsend,  Lydia  Nutting,    Pep- 

perell. 

1789.  Robert   Mention,  Townsend,     Sally   White,    Pep- 

perell. 

1790.  Thadeus     Spaulding,     Townsend,      Olive    Blood, 

Pepperell. 

1793.  Aaron  Scott,  Townsend,  Ruth  Blood,  Pepperell. 

1794.  Jesse  Spaulding,  Townsend,  Abby  Blood,  Pepper- 

ell. 

1797.  Adam  Hill,  Townsend,   Rebecca  Frost,  Pepperell. 

1798.  Jeremiah  Ball,  Townsend,  Lucy  Putnam. 
Francis    Butterfield,    Townsend,     Martha    Gilson, 

Townsend. 
Joseph  Wallis,  Townsend,  Hannah  Conant,  Town- 
send. 


428  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

1799.     Samuel     Sparhawk,    Townsend,     Polly   Baldwin, 
Townsend. 

1793.     Micha   Benipo,   Townsend,    Mary  William,    Pep- 
perell  (colored). 

Marriage  performed  by  Rev.  Paul  Litchfield  : — 

1788.     James  Giles,  Jr.,  Townsend,   Lydia  Russell,   Car- 
lisle. 


Marriage  performed  by  Asa  Parley,  Esq.  : — 

1795.     Samuel    Grimes,    Townsend,      Elimah    Hutchins, 
Carlisle. 


Marriage  performed  by  Rev.  Daniel : — 

1770.     John  Farwell,  Harvard,  Elimah  Hutchins,  Carlisle. 

Marriage  performed  by  Nathaniel  Russell,  Esq.  : — 

1760.     Jonathan  Putnam,  Townsend,   Hannah  Worcester, 
Townsend. 

Marriage  performed  by  Rev.  Samuel  Kendall : — 

1790.     Samuel    Batherick,    Townsend,     Hannah    Bemis, 
Weston. 

Marriages  performed  by  Rev.  Timothy  Harrington  : — 

1787.     William   Hobart,   Townsend,    Dolly   Smith,    Lan- 
caster. 

1753.     William    Smith,     Townsend,     Martha    Dunsmore, 
Lancaster. 


CHAPTER  XVIL* 

DESCENDANTS  OF  DANIEL  ADAMS.— THE  WHITNEY  FAMILY. 

Eecorcl  of  the  Descendants  of  Daniel  Adams,  who  settled  in  Town- 
send,  in  1742— The  AVhitne}'  Family  as  Benefactors  and  Business 
Men— Genealogy   of  some  of  tlie  Townsend   Whitneys. 

People  by  the  name  of  Adams  are  nearly  as  numerous 
as  those  by  the  name  of  Brown,  or  Smith.  Up  to  1875, 
the  number  of  graduates,  at  Harvard  College,  by  the 
name  of  Smith,  was  one  hundred  and  two,  while  there 
were  ninety-six  graduated  b}-  the  name  of  Adams. 
Adamson  was  the  original  name,  of  which  Adams  is  an 
abbreviation.  The  name  was  veiy  common,  in  England, 
at  the  time  of  the  settlement  of  the  colonies.  As  many  as 
four  different  lamilies  by  the  name  of  Adams,  claiming 
no  relationship,  setded  in  the  province  of  Massachusetts. 

The  name  of  Adams  was  quite  common  in  early 
provincial  times.  At  present  there  are  several  genealogists 
by  that  name,  who  are  making  great  efforts  to  collect  the 
facts  in  regard  to  their  ancestors,  with  the  view  of  an 
"Adams  Memorial."  The  lineage  of  so  many  persons, 
must,  from  the  nature  of  the  case,  remain  a  matter  of  much 
uncertainty    in    numerous   instances.       From   the    present 


^The  abbreviations  in  this  chapter  are:  b.  for  born;  ni.  for  marrieil;  d.  for  died. 


430  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

time,  the  various  families  will  have  their  record  well 
preserved,  inasmuch  as  our  people  are  just  beginning  to 
study  genealogy. 

Joseph  Adams,  the  progenitor  of  a  part  of  those  by 
the  name  of  Adams  who  have  made  Townsend  their  place 
of  residence,  came  from  England,  about  1685,  and  settled 
in  Cambridge,  in  what  is  now  Arlington.  Little  is  known 
of  his  family,  except  that  he  was  the  father  of  one  Daniel 
Adams.     The  Genealogical  Register  has  the  following  : — 

"Capt.  Daniel  Adams  lived  in  the  south  part  of 
Lincoln,  once  in  the  limits  of  Concord,  where  he  died, 
1780.     Married  Elizabeth  Minot. 

Their  children  were  : 

Daniel,  b.  1720. 

Elizabeth,  b.  1722. 

Joseph,  b.  1724. 

Rebecca,  b.  1727. 

James,  b.  1732. 

Lydia,  b.  1735. 

Martha,  b.  1738. 

Mary,  b.  1740. 

These  individuals  all  lived  to  a  good  age,  and  had 
sixty-nine  children,  averaging  eight  and  five-eighths 
each." 

This  Daniel  Adams,  and  one  Ephraim  Jones,  both 
of  Concord,  cut  a  road  from  Townsend  to  the  Ashuelot 
River,  in  1737,  and  asked  the  General  Court  to  pay  them 
for  their  work,  but  they  never  received  anything  from  the 
province,  for  their  services.  The  old  road  to  Ashby  is 
known  in  the  Townsend  records  as  tiie  "Ashuelot  Road  ;" 
and  it  is  substantiallv  over  the  same  route  that  Adams  and 


DESCENDANTS  OF  DANIEL  ADAMS.  431 

Jones  cut  their  way  through,  to  facilitate  the  communica- 
tion between  the  Middlesex  county  towns,  near  the  coast, 
and  Keene,  which  was  granted  by  Massachusetts,  and 
settled  in   1735. 

Daniel  Adams, ^  {Daniel^-  yose^h,^)  was  born  in 
Concord,  in  1720,  and  moved  to  Townsend,  in  1742.  Of 
the  place  where  he  located,  the  reader  may  learn  by  turn- 
ing to  the  sketch  of  Seth  Davis,  in  this  work.  Married, 
first,  Keziah  Brooks,  of  Concord,  1743;  she  died,  1754. 

Their  children  were  : 

Elizabeth,  b.  July  31,  1745  ;  d.  1745. 
Daniel,  b.  July  29,  1746. 
Abner,  b.  Oct.  22,  1748. 
Rebecca,  b.  July  6,  1750. 
Benjamin,  b.  Oct.  17,  1752. 
Ephraim,  b.  Aug.  14,  1754. 

Married,  second,  Mehitabel  Crosby,  1756;  she 
died,  1783. 

Their  children  were  : 

Robert,  b.  Jan.  8,  1757  ;  d.  1757. 
Phebe,  b.  Nov.  11,  1757;  d.  1757. 
Keziah,  b.  Feb.  28,  1759;  ^'  1782. 
Mehitabel,  b.  Feb.  23,  1761. 
Elizabeth,  b.  June  7,  1763  ;   d.  1782. 
Mary,  b.  July  23,  1765. 
Joseph,  b.  July  7,  1767. 
James,  b.  May  27,  1769;  d.  1769. 
Phebe,  b.  Dec.  18,  1771. 
James,  b.  April  15,  1773. 

He  married,  third,  Sarah  Phelps,  of  Lancaster, 
June  30,  1784,  who  survived  him,  and  was  well  provided 
for  by  the  will  of  her   husband,  who   died   in    1795,    aged 


432  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

seventy-five  years.  There  are  twenty-eight  lines  of  poetry 
on  the  large  slate  gravestone,  erected  at  the  east  side  of 
the  old  burying-ground,  to  perpetuate  his  memory.  He 
was  a  man  of  much  influence, — was  town  clerk  for  several 
years,  served  on  the  board  of  selectmen  many  times,  and 
represented  Townsend  in  the  General  Court.  He  was  a 
man  of  industrious  habits,  and  amid  all  the  trials  and 
cares  of  rearing  the  largest  family  ever  in  town,  known  to 
the  writer,  he  accumulated  a  large  property  which  he 
distributed  by  his  will  about  equally  among  his  children. 

Rebecca,  his  daughter,  married,  December  21,  1769, 
James  Campbell,  of  (Raby)  Brookline,  where  they  lived 
and  reared  four  children.  He  represented  Mason  and 
Raby  in  the  Legislature  of  New  Hampshire,  while  these 
towns  were  classed. 

Keziah  married  John  Sherwin,  in  1782.  About  1800, 
he  built  what  is  now  the  Townsend  almshouse,  for  a 
tavern,  and  kept  tavern  there  several  years.  This  was  a 
public  house  a  large  pai't  of  the  time  till  1834,  ^vhen  the 
town  bought  it  for  $1,400. 

Elizabeth  married  Joshua  Smith,  of  Raby.  They 
had  sons  and  daughters,  and  their  descendants  are  now 
among  the  inhabitants  of  Brookline  and  Townsend. 

Mary  married  John  Giles,  who  was  a  prominent  man 
,  and  a  deacon  of  the  church  in  this  town.      Two  of  their 
sons  graduated  at  Harvard   College  and   are  sketched  in 
another  part  of  this  work. 

Phebe  married  Solomon  Jewett,  1795.  They  reared 
a  famil}-,  and  among  them  was  Solomon  Jewett,  Jr., 
whose  name  appears  with  the  Townsend  traders,  in 
another  chapter. 


DESCENDANTS    OF    DANIEL    ADAMS.  433 

Daniel  Adams*  {Daniel,^  Daniel,-  Josef h})  mar- 
ried Lydia  Taylor,  daughter  of  Capt.  Daniel  Taylor, 
May  21,  1772. 

Their  children  were  : 

Daniel,  b.  Sept.  29,  1773. 
Joel,  b.  Jan.  19,  1779. 
Lydia,  b.  Oct.  15,  1784. 
Jonathan  Stow,  b.  June  5,  1786. 

This  was  a  remarkable  family.  They  lived  on  the 
east  side  of  Hathorn's  meadow,  in  the  house  now  occupied 
by  two  Bohemian  families.  The  father  was  a  deacon  of 
the  church,  and  a  justice  of  the  peace  ;  his  son  Daniel 
was  a  noted  author;  Joel  was  a  deacon  of  the  church,  and 
a  justice  of  the  peace  ;  Lydia  was  a  lady  of  intelligence 
and  refinement  (married  Asa  Kendall,  of  Lunenburg, 
October  15,  1807)  ;  and  Jonathan  Stow  was  a  deacon  of 
the  church,  in  Groton,  and  a  justice  of  the  peace.  They 
were  all  born  in  Townsend.  Daniel  Adams,  the  father  of 
this  family  was  a  good  townsman,  and  held  most  of  the 
town  offices.  He  fully  appreciated  the  importance  of 
education,  and  gave  all  his  children  good  advantages  in 
that  direction. 

Abner  Adams*  {Daniel^'  Daniel^-  yosefh})  married, 
first,  MoLEY  Sawtell,  May  20,  1784.     She  died,  1785. 

Their  child  was  : 
James,  b.  June  15,  1785- 

Married,  second,  Sarah  Sawtell,  November  10, 
1796.     Their  children  were  : 

Luther,  b.  ,  1797  ;    m.    Sarah  Rand,  Aug.  20, 

-1822. 


434  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

Mary,   b.    Sept.    30,    1802  ;    m.    Nathaniel    Whiting, 

Nov.  24,  1825. 
Abner,  b.  Jan.  27,  1805  ;   m.  Ahnira  Parker,  1833. 
Walter,  b.  Feb.  i,  1806. 
Eli,  b.  Feb.  11,  1808. 
Lucy,  b.  ,  181 1  ;  m.  Archelaus  Adams. 

He  was  a  farmer  and  lived  on  the  premises  now 
owned  and  occupied  by  Stillman  Adams,  and  Sarah  Jane, 
his  sister.  He  was  a  man  of  good  natural  abilities — was 
a  selectman  and  a  representative  to  the  General  Court. 

Benjamin  Adams^  {^Daniel  ^^  Daniel^-  Joseph,^) 
married,  Mary  Stone,  of  Townsend,  July  16,  1779. 

Their  children  were  : 

Benjamin,  b.  Sept.  17,  1780. 

Patty,  b.  Oct.  12,  1784;   m.  Jonathan  Chapman. 

Polly,  b.  Oct.  12,  1786. 

Samuel,  b.  Sept.  12,  1789;  m.  Calista  French. 

Betsey,  b.  March  7,  1792  ;   m.  Josiah  French,  Jr. 

Daniel,  b.  July  4,  1795  ;   m.  Catherine  Hartwell. 

Joseph,  b.   Aug.  7,  1800;  m.  Marinda  French,  1826. 

Soon  after  his  marriage  he  moved  to  Cavendish, 
Vermont,  where  his  children  were  born. 

Joseph  Adams^  {Danicl^^  Daniel^-  yoscph,^)  married 
Mary  Brooks,  of  Townsend,  June  28,  1792. 

Their  children  were  : 

Polly,  b.  Dec.  13,  1793  ;  m.  Capt.  Elnathan  Davis. 
Joseph,  b.  Sept.  27,  1795  ;   m.  Martha  Buttertield. 
Betsey,  b.  Oct.  5,  1797  ;  m.  John  Bancroft. 
Sally,  b.  Dec.  4,  1799;  m.  Marshall  Lewis. 
Daniel,  b.  June  9,  1802  ;  m.  Mary  Marshall. 
Benjamin,  b.  Sept.  3,  1804;  m.  Abigail  Going. 
Noah,  b.  Aug.  4,  1806;  m.  Levina  P.  Cowden. 
Brooks,  b.  March  13,  1809;   m.  Hannah  Spaulding. 


DESCENDANTS    OF    DANIEL    ADAMS.  435 

Capt.  Joseph  Adams  lived  on  the  farm  where  he  was 
born,  described  on  page  237  of  this  work.  He  was  an  ex- 
emplary man,  leading  a  strictly  puritanical  life.  Although 
he  kept  a  large  stock  of  cattle,  and  his  sons  were  taught 
the  habits  of  industry,  he  never  allowed  his  stable  to  be 
cleaned  out  on  the  Sabbath. 

James  Adams^  {Daniel^^  Daniel,-  yoseph,^)  married 
Sibyl  Gassett,  of  Townsend,  1802. 

Their  children  were  : 

Dolly,  b.  Dec.  29,  1803  ;  m.  Albert  White,  of  Bedford. 
Sabra,  b.  Feb.  26,  1807  ;  m.  Franklin  Converse. 
Submit,  b.  Jan.    i,    1809;    m.    George    Maxwell,    of 

Cincinnati. 
Rebeckah,  b.  July  6,   181 2  ;  m.    Charles   Coburn,    of 

Lowell. 

Daniel  Adams'"'  {Daniel,^ Daniel ^^ Daniel,'-  yoseph,^) 
married  Nancy  Mullekin,  August  17,  1800. 

Their  children  were  : 

Darwin,  b.  Oct.  10,  1801  ;  m.  Catherine  Smith. 

Arabella,  b.  Sept.  9,  1803  ;  died  young. 

Nancy,  b.  July  7,  1810  ;  died  young. 

Daniel  L.,  b.  Nov.  i,  1814  ;  m.  Cornelia  A.  Cook. 

Nancy  Ann,  b.  Dec.  3,  1821  ;  m.  William  S.  Briggs. 

For  a  description  of  this  Adams,  see  page  299  of  this 
work. 

Joel  Adams-'  {Daniel,^  Daniel^-'  DanieU-  yosefh}) 
married  Polly  Stone,  November  3,  1803. 

Their  children  were  : 

Mary,  b.  July  21,  1804  ;   m.  John  Bertram,  M.  D. 

Samuel,  b.  Nov.  18,  1805. 

He  was  a  prominent  man,  held  the  town  offices,  was 
a  deacon  of  the  church,  and  a  justice  of  the  peace. 


436  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

Jonathan  Stow  Adams-'  {Daniel,^  Daniel ^-^  Daniel ^^ 
Joseph,^)  married  Betsey  Wood;  no  children.  He 
was  a  trader  and  did  business  in  Groton.  He  was  a 
deacon  of  the  church,  a  justice  of  the  peace,  and  very 
decided  in  his  opinions. 

Luther  Adams'  (Adner,*  Daniel,^ Daniel,'-  Joseph,^) 
married  Sarah  Rand,  August  20,  1822. 

Their  children  were  : 

Stillman,  b.  ,  1823. 

Sarah  Jane,  b.  June  17,  1826. 
Maria,  b.  July  28,  1829  ;  died  young. 

He  represented  Townsend,  in  the  General  Court,  in 
1856.  He  was  a  farmer  and  fruit  grower ;  an  industrious, 
honest  man. 

James  Adams'^'  {Abner,^  Daniel^''  Daniel^-  foseph,^) 
married  Nancy  Pratt,  November  6,  1808.  She  died, 
1861.     Their  children  were  : 

Nancy  P.,  b.  Aug.  10,  1809:  m.  Levi  Richardson, 
1832. 

Elizabeth,  b.  Dec.  i,  1813  ;  died  in  youth. 

Lydia,  b.  Jan.  13,    1817  ;  m.  John  Walker,  1837. 

Catherine  S.,  b.  Jan.  19,  1822;  m.  Joseph  H.  Chad- 
wick,  1843. 

James  Edson,  b.  Nov.  27,  1824;  unmarried;  d.  May 
8,   1871. 

Capt.  James  Adams  was  a  farmer.  He  was  a  man 
of  a  pleasant  disposition,  a  kind  husband  and  father,  and 
he  was  much  respected.  James  Edson,  his  son,  w^as  a 
very  active  Boston  merchant.  He  left  a  large  amount  of 
property. 


DESCENDANTS    OF    DANIEL    ADAMS.  437 

Abner  Adams'^  {ASner,*  Daniel,^  DanicU^  yoseph,^) 
married  Almira  Parker,  of  Antrim,  N.  H.,  1833. 

Their  children  were  : 

Lizzie  M.,  b.  July  18,  1836;  m.  Edward  Caufy,  1874. 
George  A.,  b.  May  25,  1840;  m.  Martha  A.    Howe, 

1861. 
Carrie,  b.  Feb.  18,  1855  ;  m.  Asa  Williams,  1874. 

He  was  a  farmer,  and  a  man  of  good  character  and 
habits. 

Joseph  Adams"'  {yoscph,^  Daniel ^^  Daniel,-  yuseph,^) 
married,  first,  Martha  Butterp^ield,  182 i. 

Their  children  were  : 

Union,  b.  March  13,  1822. 
Elbridge  G.,  b.  May  16,  1824. 

Martha  J.,  b.  Jan.  14,  1827  ;  m.  Charles  Joslin,  1846. 
Harriett  B.,  b.  Nov.  18,  1834;  "i-  Thurston  Richard- 
son,  1854.     Resides  at  Leominster. 

Married,  second,  Sarah  Eastman,  1835. 

Their  children  were  : 

Vinal,  b.  April  9,  1840;  d.  Jan.  25,  1841. 
Sarah  L.,  b.  April  2,  1842  ;  died  in  infancy. 
Joseph  Alden,  b.  Oct.  14,  1843. 

Joseph  Adams  is  still  alive.  He  has  been  postmaster 
at  the  central  village — a  hotel  keeper  and  a  trader — is  now 
an  old  gentleman,  retired  from  business.  Joseph  A.,  his 
son,  married  Adelaide  Gilbert,  1868.     No  children. 

Benjamin      Adams"'      (yosepA,*      Daniel,'     Daniel  ,'- 

yoseph})    married  Abigail    Going,    November  2,    1826. 

They   had   one   daughter.      They   moved   to  Troy,  in  the 

state  of  New  York,  where  he   engaged  in   hotel   keeping, 

and  where  he  died. 
50 


4o<S  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

Noah  Adams''  {Joseph,^  Banicl^'  Daniel,'^  Joseph,^) 
married  Levina  P.  Cowden,  November  22,  1834. 

Their  children  were  : 

Alfred  M.,  b.  Oct.  2,  1835. 

Sarah  M.,  b.  May  11,  1838;  died  young. 

John  Q^,  b.  Aug.  23,  1840. 

Merrick,  b.  Aug.  13,  1843  ;  died  young. 

Sarah  J.,  b.  Dec.  3,  1845. 

Ann  L.,  b.  Aug.  13,  1849;  died  in  infancy. 

He  was  an  active  man,  the  senior  partner  of  Adams 
&  Powers,  in  the  coopering,  lumber  and  mill  business. 
He  died  December  17,  1859. 

Daniel  Adams-''  {yoseph,^  Daniel, ^Daniel r  'Jose-ph,'') 
married  Mary  Marshall,  1827. 

Their  children  were  : 

Nancy    L.,    b.    Nov.    13,    1828;     m.    Rev.     Charles 
Brooks. 

Susan  A.,  b.  ,  1832  ;  d.  1832. 

Susan  A.,  b.  Oct.  29,  1833;  m.   Daniel    Davis,  1870. 

Mary  L.,  b.  Sept.  30,  1837. 

Daniel. H.,  b.  Aug.  3,  1844;  died  in  infancy. 

Mr.  Adams  was  a  trader  at  Townsend  Centre  for 
many  years,  doing  business  in  the  brick  store,  built  by 
Samuel  Stone.  He  was  town  clerk  quite  a  number  of 
years.  In  the  latter  part  of  his  life  he  was  engaged  in  the 
coopering  business,  having  sold  out  his  store.  He  died 
January  9,  1873. 


DESCENDANTS    OF    DANIEL    ADAMS.  439 

Brooks  Adams''  (^yoscfh,^  Daniel,'^  Daniel,-  yoscph,^) 
married  Hannah  Spaulding,  1832. 

.     Their  children  were  : 

Elizabeth  S.,  b.  Oct.  22,  1833  ;  m.  Lorenzo  Hildreth. 

Almira  J.,  b,  Sept.  6,  1836;  m.  Rev.  William  R. 
Tisdale. 

Hannah  A.,  b.  June  20,  1840 ;  died  young. 

Mary  K.,  b.  May  16,  1845  ;  died  young. 

Amanda  F.,  b.  Oct.  26,  1847  :  m.  Julian  W.  East- 
man. 

Sarah  P.,  b.  Nov.  27,  1849;  ^^-  Sumner  N.  Howard. 

He  lived  on  the  farm  owned  by  his  father  and  grand- 
father. He  owned  and  occupied  a  mill,  at  one  time, 
situated  near  the  Brookline  road.  This  farm,  at  his 
decease,  went  out  of  the  possession  of  the  Adams  family, 
"no  son  of  his  succeeding."     He  died  December  6,  1852. 

Samuel  Adams''  ( 'Jocl^^  Daniel,^  Daniel^^  Danicl^- 
yoseph,^)  married,  first,  Nancy  Clement,  1831. 

Their  child  was  : 
Catherine,  b.  June  2,  1835  '   "''•  Walter  Graham. 

Married,  second,  Eliza  A.  Bowers,  1838. 

Their  children  were  : 

Mary,  b.  Aug.  17,  1839. 

Abby  G.,  b.  Jan.   17,   1841  ;  m.  Newton  C.  Boutell. 

Henry,  b.  Jan.  18,  1845  ;  m.  Catherine  Tenney. 

Elizabeth,  b.  Jan.  29,  1848. 

Daniel,  b.  June  27,  1850;  died  in  infancy. 

George  C,  b.  March  4,  1853. 

Alice  A.,  b.  July  4,  1857. 

He  lived  on  the  old  Adams  homestead,  where  his 
father  and  grandfather  lived,  at  the  east  side  of  Hathorn's 


440  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

meadow,  where  he  died  in  1858.  He  was  a  prominent, 
influential  man,  as  a  citizen  and  member  of  the  orthodox 
church.  Besides  holding,  at  different  times  the  several 
town  offices,  in  1858  he  represented  this  senatorial  district 
in  the  General  Court.  He  probably  exerted  the  greatest 
influence,  of  any  Townsend  man,  in  getting  the  railroad 
through  this  town. 

Alfred  M.  Adams"  {NoakJ'  yoseph,^  Daniel^' 
Daniel,'-  Joseph,^)  married  Eliza  A.  Everett,  Novem- 
ber 21,  i860. 

Their  child  was  : 
Union  Sheridan,  b.  Oct.  31,  1864. 

He  was  born  at  Townsend  Centre,  in  1835.  While  at 
the  district  school  he  was  always  free  from  trouble,  either 
with  his  teachers  or  school-fellows.  What  he  lacked  in 
brilliant  scholarship,  he  made  up  in  good  deportment  and 
politeness  towards  his  parents  and  superiors.  When  he 
was  about  fifteen  years  of  age,  he  was  a  student  at  New 
Ipswich  Academy,  where  he  remained  nearh'  three  years, 
during  which  time  he  applied  himself  diligently  to  his 
studies.  He  then  left  that  school,  and  went  to  Westfield 
Academy,  where  he  continued  about  the  same  length  of 
time.  On  leaving  the  academy  he  went  to  Boston,  and 
was  a  clerk  in  a  wholesale  carpet  store  about  two  years. 

The  firm  of  Adams  &  Powers  was  dissolved,  by  the 
death  of  Mr.  Powers,  in  1856.  On  the  first  day  of  January, 
1857,  Mr.  Noah  Adams,  the  surviving  partner,,  and  father 
of  A.  M.  Adams,  bought  out  the  interest  of  the  widow 
and  Charles  E.  Powers,  the  only  heir.  Mr.  Noah  Adams, 
being  out  of  health,  and  feeling  the   pressure  of  business, 


DESCENDANTS    OF    DANIEL    ADAMS.  441 

was  very  anxious  to  have  his  son  return  from  the  city  and 
assist  him  ;  and  he  made  so  liberal  an  offer  to  him  that  he 
complied  with  his  father's  wishes.  In  December,  1859, 
Mr.  Noah  Adams  died.  Soon  after  his  death,  Alfred  M. 
Adams  bought  the  interest  of  his  mother,  sister  and 
brother,  in  the  property,  and  has  continued  business,  at 
that  place,  ever  since. 

The  short  apprenticeship  which  he  served  with  his 
father  was  of  incalculable  benefit  to  him,  as  he  thereb\' 
formed  the  acquaintance  of  his  father's  customers,  and 
learned  the  routine  of  the  business.  As  a  successful  man- 
ufacturer, his  record  will  not  appear  to  disadvantage, 
when  viewed  in  connection  with  the  efforts  of  men  of 
larger  experience  and  equally  favorable  surroundings. 
Since  he  has  been  proprietor  he  has  made  some  important 
improvements  in  the  mills,  and  extended  the  business  con- 
siderably. He  employs  a  good  many  men,  and  is  one  of 
the  heaviest  tax  payers  in  town. 

His  life  has  exemplified  the  exception  rather  than  the 
rule,  in  the  descent  of  property  from  one  generation  to 
another.  Generally,  when  a  young  man,  not  knowing 
how  to  earn  a  dollar  with  his  hands,  has  a  large  property 
left  to  him,  he  loses  it  about  as  easily  as  he  obtained  it ;  and 
then,  perhaps  he  will  make  an  effort  to  ascertain  the  value 
of  money  by  earning  some  himself.  This  gentleman  has 
kept  all  that  he  inherited,  and  added  largely  to  that 
amount.  Mr.  Adams  is  a  prominent  member  of  the  repub- 
lican party,  and,  as  such,  he  represented  the  Thirty-Fifth 
Middlesex  District  in  the  General  Court  in  1877.  Every- 
thing around  his  residence,  shops,  storehouses,  and  mills, 
shows  a  controlling  influence,  emanathig  from  a  man  of 
taste,  prudence,  and  enterprise. 


442  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

Darwin  Adams"  {Daniel^'  Daniel,'^  Daniel^''  Daniel.;' 
yoseph,^)  married  Catherine  Smith,  of  Hollis,  N.  H., 
1828  ;  she  was  the  daughter  of  Rev.  Eli  Smith. 

Their  children  were  : 

George  D.,  b.  i^pril  18,  1830;  in.  Ann  E.  Brown. 
Daniel  E.,  b.  June  22,  1832  ;  m.  Ellen  F.  Kingsbury. 
Mary  E.,  b.  April  i,  1835. 
Catherine  L.,  b.  Nov.  12,  1836;  died  young. 
John  L.,  b.  Oct.  7,  1839.     ^^^  officer  during  the  re- 
bellion. 

He  is  a  graduate  of  Dartmouth  College,  class  of 
1824,  and  is  a  retired  congregational  minister,  residing  at 
Groton,  and  is  well  worthy  of  being  the  son  of  Daniel 
Adams,  the  author. 


Daniel  Lucius  Adams"  {Daniel,''  Daniel,^  Daniel;^ 
Daniel;-  Joseph,^)  married  Cornelia  A.  Cook,  of  New 
York,  May  7,  1861. 

Their  children  were  : 

Charles  C,  b.  Aug.  24,  1864;  d.  Sept.  21,  1864. 
Catherine,  b.  May  3,  1866. 
Mary  W.,  b.  Oct.  15,  1868. 
Francis  M.,  b.  June  7,  187 1. 
Roger  C,  b.  May  i,  1874. 

He  is  a  graduate  of  Yale  College,  1835.  ^^^  took 
the  degree  of  M.  D.,  at  Harvard  College,  in  1838.  He 
practiced  medicine  in  the  City  of  New  York,  about  twenty 
years.  He  is  at  present  located  at  Ridgeheld,  Connecticut, 
where  he  continues  in  the  medical  profession. 


DESCENDANTS    OF    DANIEL    ADAMS.  443 

Union  Adams^'  {yoseph,^  'Josc-ph,^  Daniel^'  Daniel .;- 
Joseph})  married  Charlotte  Emerton,  of  New  Hamp- 
shire, in  1865. 

Their  children  were  : 

Union,  b.  Nov.  20,  1865. 
Grace,  b.  June  10,  1867. 

He  is  a  merchant,  residing  in  the  City  of  New  York  ; 
an  extensive  dealer  in  woolens  and  hosier}-. 

Stillman  Adams'"'  {Luther}' Abner} Daniel}'  Danielr 
yoseph})  married  Sarah  R.  Tarbell,  Januar}-  i,  1869. 

Their  children  were  : 

Francis  L.,  b.  July  13,  1872. 
Carrie  M.,  b.  July  25,  1876. 

He  is  engaged  in  business  in  the  City  of  New  York, 
in  partnership  with  Alden  Warner,  son  of  Samuel  Warner, 
of  this  town.  He  passes  part  of  the  time  on  the  farm 
where  he  was  born,  which  he  and  his  sister,  Sarah  Jane, 
still  own  and  occupy. 

George  A.  Adams"  {Abner}  Abner}  Daniel} 
Daniel}  Joseph})  married  Martha  L.  Howe,  daughter 
of  Albert  Howe,  Esq.,  of  West  Townsend,  1861. 

Their  children  were  : 

Kate  L.,  b.  Feb.  22,  1867. 
Albert  A.,  b.  Nov.  8,  1873. 

He  moved  from  this  town  to  Detroit,  Michigan,  where 
he  has  for  some  time  been  established  as  a  sewing  machine 
agent. 


444  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

Joseph  Adams''  {Bcnjaiiiiii,^  Daniel  ^^  Danicl^- 
Josefh}^  married  Merinda  French,  September  14, 
•1826.     Their  children  were  : 

MarvE.,  b.  April  7,    1828;    m.    Hubbard  L.    Hart, 

Richard  J.,  b.  May  3,   1833;  m.   Emily  F.   Holland, 

1869. 
Mary  H.,  b.  July  14,  1854. 

He  is  a  farmer  and  resides  at  Cavendish,  Vermont. 

George  D.  Adams'  {Darivin^''  Daniel ^^  Daniel,^ 
Daniel ^-^  Daniel^-  Josef h,^)  married  Ann  E.  Brown, 
1855.     Their  children  were  : 

John  B.,  b.  March  26,  1857. 
Mary  E.,  b.  Oct.  25,  1861. 

He  is  a  thriving  larmer,  living  in  Oiiio,  where  his 
children  were  born. 

Samuel  Adams'^  {Benjamin,^  Daniel ^^  Daniel ^^ 
yoseph,^)  married  Calista  French,  September  19,  1819. 

Their  children  were  : 

Samuel  L.,  b.  June  16,  1820:   m.  Betsev  M.    Parker, 

July  2,  1848. 
Charles  P.,  b.  Aug.  22,  1822  ;  d.  Dec.  21,   1823. 
Marietta,  b.  June  18,  1824  ;  m.  Fred  M.  Weeks,  Jan. 

3.  1855. 
Marcella,  b.  Aug.  4,  1827  :    m.  Ira  H.   Adams,  April 

14,  1852. 
Josiah    Q.,   b.    May    2,    1830:    m.    Ellen    E.    Mayo, 

March  12,  1874. 
Jerusha  J.,   b.    Dec.    19,    1832  ;  m.    Moses   Marston, 

Oct.  14,  1863. 
Ellen    M.,    b.    Nov.    24,   1835:    m.   Moses    Marston, 

Sept.  12,  1859. 
Betsey  M.,  b.    Aug.    7,    1838;  m.   John   W.    Foster, 

Sept.  3,  1863. 


DESCENDANTS    OF    DANIEL    ADAMS.  445 

He  lived  in  Cavendish,  Vermont.  Died  September  9, 
1875.  Calista  (French)  Adams,  his  wife,  died  February 
13,  1875.  Their  children  were  born  at  Cavendish,  Ver- 
mont.    He  was  a  farmer. 

Benjamin  Adams-'  {Benj'amm^^  Daniel ^-^  Daniel^' 
'Josefh^)  married  Betsey  Crowley. 

Their  children  were  : 

Rosetta,  b.  Aug.  6,  1807  ;  unmarried,  lives  at  Akron, 

Ohio. 
Lorinda,  b.  Nov.  27,  1809;  m.  Samuel  Manning. 
Washington,  b.  June  13,  1812  ;  m.  Dena  Anna  Hager. 
Galusha,  b.  Ma}-  28,  1817  ;  d.  Oct.  10,  1832. 
Frank,  b.  July  5,  1819 ;  lives  at  Akron,  Ohio. 
Marcellus,  b.  Dec.  i,  1821  ;  d.  at  Akron,  Ohio. 
Sarah  J.,  b.  Jan.  9,  1826;  m.  Loren  W.  Smith. 
Almira  W.,  b.  April  3,  1828. 

Their  children  were  all  born  at  Cavendish,  Vermont. 
This  Benjamin  was  a  farmer.  He  and  his  family  moved 
to  Ohio,  in  1840.      Died  at  Akron,  November  22,  1849. 

Daniel     Adams"'     {Benjamin,'^     Daniel  ^^     Daniel  ^- 
'Joscfh})     married,     first,     Catherine     Hartwell,    of 
Shirley. 

Their  children  were  : 

Ira  H.,  b.  Jan.  16,  1823. 

Abigail  A.,  b.  June  27,  1826;  d.  May  28,  1835. 

Alpheus  A.,  b.  Oct.  7,  1828. 

Susan  M.,  b.  Sept.  14,  1833  :  d.  Jan.  12,  1834. 

James  J.,  b.  Jan.  19,  1838;  d.  Sept.  28,  1839. 

Married,    second,    Lydia  Caryl.        No   children  by 

the    second    marriage.       He    lived    in    Chester,  Vermont, 
57 


44()  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

where  he  died  September  24,  1872.    Catherine  (Hartwell) 
Adams,  his  first  wife,  died  February  i,   1846. 

Samuel  L.  Adams"  {Samuel/'  Bcnjamm,^  Daniel^^ 
Daniel,^  "Josef  h,^)  married  Betsey  M.  Parker,  July  2, 
1848.  No  children.  He  is  a  grocer,  and  resides  at  Saint 
Charles,  Kane  County,  Illinois. 

JosiAH  Q^  Adams''  {Samuel,^  Benjamm,^  Daniel ^^ 
Daniel^'    Joseph,^)     married    Mrs.     Ellen     E.     Mayo, 

March  12,  1874. 

Their  children  were  : 

Ida  May,  b.  Jan.  9,  1875. 
Samuel,  b.  March  28,  1876. 

He  is  a  farmer,  and  "lives  on  the  old  homestead,"  in 
Cavendish,  Vermont. 

Ira  H.  Adams"  {^Daniel,''  Benjamin.,^  Daniel/'  DanieU- 
Josefh})  married  Marcella  Adams,  April  14,  1852. 

Their  children  were  : 

Frank  H.,  b.  April  26,  1853. 
Fred  Darwin,  b.  Aug.  6,  1854. 
Delos  W.,  b.  Sept.  15,  1855. 
Samuel,  b.  Jan.  16,   1857. 
Daniel  H.,  b.  March  17,  i860. 

He  is  a  farmer,  and  lives  at  Chester,  Vermont. 

Washington  Adams*"'  {Benjamin/ Benjamin /  Daniel/ 
Daniel/  "Josefh/)  married  Dena  Ann  Hager,  at 
Cavendish,  Vermont,  December  20,  1854. 

Their  children  were  : 

Marcellus,  b.  Dec.  17,  1855  ;  d.  Sept.  27,  1856. 
Clarence,  b.  Nov.  18,  1857. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  DANIEL  ADAMS.  447 

This  gentleman  is  a  farmer,  and  resides  at  Chester, 
Vermont.  The  author  of  this  work  is  indebted  largely  to 
him  for  the  foregoing  account  of  most  of  the  descendants 
of  Benjamin  Adams,  his  grandfather. 

Frank  Adams,  brother  of  Washington  Adams,  is  a 
large  manufacturer  of  sewer  pipe.  He  is  a  resident  of 
Akron,  Ohio,  living  with  his  second  wife.  He  has  two 
children  by  each  wife — one  son  and  three  daughters. 

Alpheus  a.  Adams"  {Daniel,^  Benjamin ^  Daniel^-^ 
Daniel,-  Josef h,^)  married,  first,  Lucia  A.  Wheeler, 
March  6,  1856.     She  died  May  i,  1870. 

Their  children  were  : 

Anna  C,  b.  Dec.  24,  i860;  d.  Oct.  12,  1861. 
Frank  W.,  b.  June  3,  1863. 
M.  Lucia,  b.  June  5,  1867. 

Married,  second,  Mary  E.  Andrews,  May  4,  187 1. 
He  is  a  trader  and  does  business  at  Chester,  Vermont, 
where  he  resides. 

Richard  J.  Adams"  {yoseph,^  Benjamin,^  Daniel,^ 
Daniel,^   yoseph,^)  married  Emily  F.  Holland. 

Their  child  was  : 
Richard  F.,  b.  July  28,  1871. 

This  family  resides  at  Palatka,  Putnam  County, 
Florida. 

John  Qltinn  Adams"  (JVoah,^  yosefh,^  Daniel^^ 
Daniel,-  yosepk,^^  married  Katie  Carlin. 

Their  children  were  : 

Ulric  Sheridan,  b. 1874. 

Arthur  Earl,  b.  May  — ,  1877. 


448  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

He  is  a  farmer  residing  at  Racine,  Newton  County, 
Missouri. 

Henry  Adams"  {Sauiuel/'  'Joel,^  Daniel^^  Danicl,'- 
Jose^h,^)  married  Catherine  E.  Tenney,  November  12, 
1867. 

Their  children  were  : 

Henry,  b.  Dec.  17,  1868. 
Alice  Louise,  b.  Oct.  17,  1874. 

He  is  a  clerk  in  the  carpet  warehouse  of  John  H. 
Pray,  Sons  &  Co.,  in  Boston. 

Daniel  E.  Adams'  {Darzvin^'  Daniel^''  Daniel.,^ 
Daniel^''  Daniel^-  yosc^ph,^)  married  Ellen  F.  Kingsbury, 
of  Keene,  1854. 

Their  children  were  : 

Charles  D.,  b.  Oct.  21,  1854. 
Mary  C,  b.  April  9,  1868. 
George  W.,  b.  April  27,   1873. 

This  gentleman  is  a  congregational  minister,  and  is 
settled  at  Ashburnham. 

There  are  only  two  or  three  male  descendants  of 
Daniel  Adams,  during  his  six  consecutive  generations, 
whose  names  are  not  contained  in  the  tbregoing  memorial 
of  this  branch  of  tlie  family. 

Shadrack  Whitney,  son  of  Jonathan  Whitney,  and 
brother  of  Amos,  the  giver  of  the  Townsend  parsonage, 
was  born  in  Watertown,  in  1698.  He  was  in  Townsend 
before  it  was  chartered,  in  1732.  The  Groton  records 
contain  his  marriage:  "Jan.  5,  1731-2,  Shadrack  Whitney 
of  y^'  North  Town  to  Prudence  Lawrence."  He  was 
rather  a  prominent  man,  and  served  on  several  com- 
mittees,   appointed    by    the    proprietors,   to    la\-    out    and 


THE    WHITNEY    FAMILY.  449 

apportion  the  undivided  lands  equally  among  them.  He 
lived  in  that  part  of  the  town,  which  was  left  in  Mason, 
by  the  running  of  the  province  line.  It  appears  that  in 
1753,  he  had  "a  house  and  barn,  and  about  twenty  acres 
cleared  and  fenced,  and  a  young  orchard,"*  in  that  tow^n. 
He  owned  lands  in  Mason,  Townsend  and  Groton.  In 
August,  1733,  the  Townsend  proprietors  held  a  meeting 
"at  y''  publick  meeting  house,"  the  principal  object  of 
which  was  "To  see  if  y*^  said  proprietors  think  it  con- 
venient to  grant  a  recompense  ( to  Ephraim  Sawtell )  for 
any  land  which  may  be  flowed  by  erecting  a  dam  upon 
Squannoocook  River,  near  y*'  house  of  John  Patt  in  order 
to  Sett  upp  mills  for  the  benefit  of  said  Proprietors."  A 
grant  of  land  was  awarded  to  said  Sawtell,  at  that  meet- 
ing. The  following  record,  in  connection  with  that  vote 
is  here  presented  : — 

"The  Subfcriberf  whofe  namef  are  underwritten  (being 
dilTatisfied  With  the  Vote  of  y*^  Proprietorf  in  granting  an 
Equivolent  for  Landf  which  may  be  flowed  af  afore  Said) 
have  Decented  againft  y®  proceedingf  of  faid  vote. 

Ebenezer  Wyman,  Samuel  Kendal, 

Amos  Whitney,  Jasher  Wyman, 

Shadrach  Whitney. 

Attell :  Jasher  Wyman,  Proprietors'  Clerk.'' 

Sometime  in  the  latter  part  of  his  life,  he  moved  from 
Mason  to  Groton,  where,  on  the  twentieth  of  July,  1764, 
he  made  his  will,  which  was  proved,  approved  and  al- 
lowed, on  the  fourteenth  of  the  following  August.  After 
making  several  bequests  to  relatives  and  friends,  he  gave 
the  town  of  Groton  forty  pounds,  to  be  put  upon  interest 


HiU's  historj'  of  Mason,  page  41. 


450  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

"in  such  a  way  and  manner  as  they  shall  think  lit,  so  that 
the  interest  thereof  may  be  improved  and  applied  to  the 
support  of  the  ordained  minister  of  the  town  of  Groton, 
from  time  to  time,  forever  hereafter." 

The  Whitneys,  from  that  time  to  the  present,  have 
been  noted  for  their  liberal  donations,  both  to  religious 
and  scientific  objects.  As  in  the  flowage  case  cited,  they 
have  always  done  their  own  thinking,  and  were  always 
ready  to  place  themselves  squarely  on  record. 

Levi  Whitney  was  the  eldest  son  of  Daniel  Whit- 
ney, who  was  brother  of  Shadrack.  He  was  born 
(probably)  in  Shrewsbury,  December  5,  1739.  He 
came  to  Townsend  about  the  time  he  arrived  at  majority. 
He  married,  first,  Rebecca  Clark,  daughter  of  Deacon 
Samuel  Clark,  December  19,  1764. 

Their  children  were  : 

Amos,  b.  Feb.  11,  1766;  d.  Oct.  2,  1854. 

Asa,  b.  ,  1767  ;  d.  Feb.  — ,  1851. 

Sarah,  b.  ,  1769  ;  m.  Eleazer  Flint,  of  Reading, 

May  3,  1 791. 

Aaron,  b.  ,  ;  married  and  lived  tor  a  while 

in  Milford,  N.  H.  ;  afterwards  he  removed  to  the 
State  of  Maine,  where  he  died.  Tradition  says 
he  was  a  large  and  powerful  man,  six  and  one- 
half  feet  in  height. 

Sibyl,  b.  ,  ;  m.   Cyrus  Smith,  of  New  Ips- 

^  wich,  N.  H. 

Sewell,   b.    ,    ;     had    no    family.       He    vvas 

drowned  by  being  accidentally  knocked  from  the 
deck  of  a  sloop  at  Lansingburg,  N.  Y. 

The  father  of  this  family  married,  second,  Mrs. 
Lydia  (  Randall)    Price,   the   widow  of   Major  Henry 


THE    WHITNEY    FAMILY.  451 

Price,  the  first  deputy  grand  master  of  Masons  in  America. 
They  had  one  daughter  : 

Rebecca,  b.  July  29,  1781  ;  m.  Benjamin  Wallace,  of 
Townsend,  Sept.  18,  1799-  They  have  descend- 
ants, at  present,  in  this  town. 

During  the  revolutionary  war,  Levi  Whitney  was  an 
officer  in  the  commissary  department,  with  the  rank  of 
lieutenant.  He  was  a  man  of  much  mechanical  inge- 
nuity, and  a  manufacturer  of  agricultural  tools.  His 
children  were  all  born  in  Townsend. 


Amos  Whitney,  the  son  of  Levi,  married  Anna. 
Brown,  of  Concord,  August  16,  1789.  He  was  in  the 
coopering  business,  at  Chelmsford,  now  Middlesex  Vil- 
lage, where  he  lived  and  where  he  acquired  a  large 
property  in  that  trade.     He  died  October  2,  1854. 

Their  children  were  : 

Amos,  b.  ,  1790;  d.  Oct.  19,  1873. 

Sewell,  b. ;  died  young. 

Asa  Whitney,  the  son  of  Levi,  married  Mary 
Wallace,  February  25,  1790.  He  was  a  blacksmith  and 
resided  in  this  town.  He  died  December  27,  185 1,  aged 
eighty-four  years  ;  she  died  February  11,  1846. 

Their  children  were  : 

Polly,    b.    May    29,     1790;     m.    James     French,     of 

Henniker,  N.  H. 
Asa,  b.  Dec.  i,  1791. 
Samuel,  b.  Feb.  27,  1794;   d.   at  Waltham,  Nov.  — , 

1870. 


452  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

Sewell,  b.  March  i8,  1796;  d.  Oct.  26,  1818. 

Rebecca,  b.  Nov.  4,  1797;  d.  Sept.  i,  1800. 

Sarah,  b.  May  3,  1800  ;  m.  George  Hartwell,  d.  Sept. 

28,  1829. 
Levi,  b.  March  19,  1802  ;  resides  in  Cleveland,  Ohio. 
Joel,  b.  June  8,  1807  ;  resides  in  Winchester. 

The  father  of  this  family  was  an  upright,  hard- 
working man,  but  possessed  of  little  financial  ability. 
These  sons  and  daughters  were  all  born  on  Nissequassick 
Hill. 

Asa  Whitney,  oldest  son  of  Asa,  married  Clarinda 
Williams,  at  Watertown,  Jefferson  County,  New  York, 
on  the  twenty-second  day  of  August,  1815.  She  was'  the 
daughter  of  Ralph  Williams,  of  Groton,  Connecticut. 

Their  children  were  : 

William  Wallace,  b.  Sept.  i,  1817  ;  unmarried;  died 
in  Cuba,  Nov.  17,  1847.    He  was  a  civil  engineer. 

George,  b.  Oct.  17,  1819  :  married  :  has  one  daughter. 
Resides  in  Philadelphia. 

Mary  Jane,  b.  Nov.  8,  183 1  ;  m.  John  H.  Redfield, 
Aug.  16,  1843,  then  of  New  York,  now  of 
Philadelphia.      Has  four  children. 

Daniel  Lyman,  b.  Feb.  — ,  1824;  died  in  infancy. 

Eliza,  b.  Jan  25,  1826;  m.  Rev.  M.  A.  DeWolfe 
Howe,  June  9,  1857.      Has  three  children. 

John  Randall,  b.  Oct.  21,  1828;  married,  and  has 
seven  children.     Resides  in  Philadelphia. 

James  Shields,  b.  Dec.  2,  1830;  married,  and  has 
four  children.      Resides  in  Philadelphia. 

These  sons  and  daughters  were  all  born  at  Brown- 
ville,  New  York.  Asa  Whitney,  the  father  of  this  family, 
at  the  age  of  thirteen  years  sought  employment  in  Boston  ; 


THE    WHITNEY    FAMILY.  453 

after  some  months  returned  home,  and,  after  attending 
school  for  a  time,  returned  to  his  father's  blacksmith  shop, 
and  having  learned  the  trade,  he  went  to  Swanzey,  New 
Hampshire,  where  he  worked  on  cotton  mill  machinery, 
for  two  years  or  more.  In  1813,  he  went  to  Brattleboro, 
Vermont,  and  engaged  in  the  same  business,  but  was 
burned  out  and  lost  all  his  earnings.  Soon  afterward  he 
went  to  Brownville,  New  York,  where  he  resided  several 
years.  For  a  time  he  lived  at  Schenectady,  and  again  at 
Albany,  New  York.  He  was  then  superintendent  of  the 
Mohawk  &  Hudson  Railroad.  At  one  dme  he  held  the 
office  of  Canal  Commissioner.  His  reputation  as  a  rail- 
road engineer,  at  one  time,  was  so  high  that  he  was 
consulted  on  the  question  of  the  gauge  of  the  Erie  Rail- 
road, then  being  built.  He  gave  an  elaborate  opinion  in 
favor  of  the  four  feet  eight  and  one-half  inch  gauge, 
which,  had  it  been  adopted  then  (as  it  has  been  recently), 
would  have  saved  the  railway  millions  of  dollars.  From 
1842  to  1847,  with  M.  W.  Baldwin,  he  was  engaged,  in 
the  City  of  Philadelphia,  in  the  manutacture  of  locomo- 
dves,  on  an  extensive  scale.  In  1847,  he  commenced  the 
manufacture  of  car  wheels,  and  founded  the  establish- 
ment still  carried  on,  at  Philadelphia,  by  the  firm  of 
"A.  Whitney  &  Sons."  Before  his  death,  this  firm 
manufactured  about  75,000  car  wheels  annuall}^.  He  was 
a  man  of  great  benevolence,  giving  liberally  through 
life,  and  at  his  death  he  left  by  his  will  $50,000  to  found  a 
chair  of  dynamical  engineering,  in  the  University  of 
Pennsylvania,  and  about  $40,000  to  other  charitable 
purposes.  He  left  a  princely  fortune  to  his  family,  and 
was    probably    the    only    millionaire     among    the   sons    of 


58 


454  HISTORY    OF    TOWNSEND. 

Townsend.      He  died  at  Philadelphia,  June  4,  1874.      His 
widow  is  still  living  (1878). 

Samuel  Whitney,  brother  of  Asa,   married   Polly 
Wallace,  September  30,  1813. 

Their  children  were  : 

Mary,  b. ;  m. Shattuck. 

Samuel  b. . 

Wallace,  b. ;    m.    Mary  A.    Brooks,    1844. 

He  is  a  machinist. 
Harriet,  b. . 


This  man  is  noticed  on  page  251  of  this  book,  as  the 
inventor  of  the  planing  machine,  now  used  extensively. 
He  possessed  a  great  amount  of  inventive  and  mechanical 
skill,  but  was  deficient  in  matters  of  business.  He  moved 
to  Waltham,  where  he  died,  in  November,  1870. 

Sewell  Whitney,  another  brother,  never  married. 
He  died  October  26,  1818,  aged  twenty-two.  He  was  the 
only  one  of  the  family  who  worked  on  wood,  the  others 
being  disciples  of  Tubal  Cain.  He  made  bowls,  bottles, 
and  trays.  His  gallon  bottles  were  made  of  poplar,  one 
piece  of  wood,  turned  inside  and  outside,  while  the  wood 
was  green.  Seasoned  heads  of  the  same  wood  were  then 
put  in  and  when  dried,  they  were  air-tight.  Many  a 
thirsty  haymaker  has  been  refreshed  from  these  hoopless 
samples  of  woodenware. 

Amos  Whitney,  the  son  of  Amos  and  Anna  (Brown) 
Whitney,  born  1790,  never  married.  He  was  a  man  of 
exemplary  character,  without  being  particularl}'  enter- 
prising.      In    1854,    ^^^^    father   died,  and  left  him  a  large 


THE    WHITNEY    FAMILY.  455 

amount  of  wealth  which  w^as  acquired  in  the  coopering 
business.  His  pecuniary  means  were  ample  without  this 
additional  inheritance.  He  left  a  will  at  his  decease, 
devising  about  $20,000  to  his  relatives,  $2,500  to  the 
"Old  Ladies  Home,"  a  charitable  institution,  at  Lowell, 
and  made  Tufts  College  the  residuary  legatee.  The 
amount  of  his  wealth,  at  his  death,  was  over  $50,000.  He 
died  at  Middlesex  Village,  October  19,  1873. 

There  is  not  a  person,  at  present,  by  the  name  of 
Whitney,  among  the  inhabitants  of  Townsend.  A  grand- 
daughter of  Lydia  (Price)  Whitney,  the  widow  Rebecca 
(Wallace)  Simonds,  a  few  of  her  descendants  and  the 
descendants  of  the  late  Benjamin  Wallace,  are  the  onlv 
persons  claiming  the  least  relationship  to  the  descendants 
of  Levi  Whitney,  the  ancestor  of  the  people  by  that  name 
formerly  in  Townsend.  No  record  of  the  birth  of  any  of 
the  Whitne}'  families  herein  described,  can  be  found  in  the 
town  records.  The  family  bibles  and  moss-covered  grave- 
stones have  sacredly  preserved  what  few  dates  are  here 
presented,  concerning  the  births  and  deaths  of  these 
inventors  and  philanthropists,  their  children,  and  those 
whom  they  loved. 


I 


